What Public does

Public Inc., founded in 2011 and headquartered in Toronto with a regional office in New York, is a privately held, B Corp-certified independent creative impact agency. The firm designs integrated marketing campaigns and social impact strategies for two principal client sets: large corporations seeking to authentically communicate sustainability and purpose commitments, and nonprofit or foundation clients (e.g., Obama Foundation's Girls Opportunity Alliance, Meals on Wheels America, PERIOD., Hudson's Bay Foundation) seeking strategic communications, fundraising campaign creative, and impact reporting. Public is differentiated by combining subject-matter expertise in social issues (food insecurity, gender equity, mental health, racial equity, refugee support) with commercial brand-building for enterprise customers such as Mastercard, Johnson & Johnson, NBCUniversal, RBC, Rogers, Canada Goose, Tiffany & Co., and Uniqlo.

The agency's core offerings are six service lines — Community Impact Strategies, Sustainability Communications, Branding & Design, Campaign Creative, Purpose Strategies, and Nonprofit Partnership Strategies & Creative — supplemented by an Impact Reports practice. There is no proprietary software platform; delivery relies on human creative and strategic talent alongside partnerships for data-driven thought leadership (notably the 2026 Conscious Consumer Report co-produced with Ipsos and Engage for Good). Public's work has been recognized by Shorty, Clio, Anthem, and Halo Awards and editorial outlets including Forbes, Adweek, Fast Company, Ad Age, and Globe & Mail.

Public generates revenue through B2B professional services engagement, primarily enterprise-level corporations and national nonprofits, likely under project-based or retainer arrangements (pricing is not publicly disclosed). Distribution is sales-led via direct client engagement and is amplified by a content-marketing engine of case studies and annual research. In March 2026 the firm acquired Rocket Social Impact to expand U.S. footprint and capability depth, with the target's President becoming President of Public U.S.; the company is independently owned with no disclosed institutional investors.

Name

Public

Legal name

Public Inc.

Website

https://publicinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Public Inc. is an independent, B Corp-certified creative impact agency based in Toronto and New York that designs social impact campaigns, sustainability communications, and purpose strategies for large corporations and nonprofits across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Marketing & Creative Agency Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Creative impact agency
• Social impact marketing
• Purpose-driven branding
• Sustainability communications
• Nonprofit campaign creative

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Agency Services: Public Inc. generates revenue by providing professional agency services including community impact strategies, sustainability communications, branding and design, campaign creative, purpose strategies, and nonprofit partnership strategies for corporate and nonprofit clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Public Inc. is an independent creative social impact agency that develops purpose-driven marketing and communications strategies for corporations, nonprofits, and foundations. The agency delivers community impact strategies, sustainability communications, branding and design, campaign creative, purpose strategies, and nonprofit partnership strategies and creative. It also produces sustainability and impact reports for clients and recently expanded its U.S. footprint through the acquisition of Rocket Social Impact.

Product overview

Public Inc. is an independent creative social impact agency offering a unified suite of service offerings rather than a modular software product. The agency's core portfolio includes: Community Impact Strategies, Sustainability Communications, Branding & Design, Campaign Creative, Purpose Strategies, and Nonprofit Partnership Strategies & Creative. Additional offerings include Impact Reports (sustainability/impact reporting services). The company operates from Toronto and New York and serves clients including Canada Goose, Canadian Tire, Maple Leaf Foods, Hudson's Bay Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Mastercard, NBCUniversal, RBC, and others. In March 2026, Public acquired Rocket Social Impact, a U.S.-based advisory firm, to expand its U.S. presence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Impact Strategies
• Sustainability Communications
• Branding & Design
• Campaign Creative
• Purpose Strategies
• Nonprofit Partnership Strategies & Creative
• Impact Reports

Quantifiable outcome

• Hudson's Bay Foundation Charter for Change: $30M, 10-year commitment with annual fundraisers raising over $1M
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Rocket Social ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026Public Inc. acquired Rocket Social Impact, a U.S.-based impact strategy advisory firm, to accelerate growth in the U.S. and expand social impact capabilities. The deal closed March 2, 2026, with Rocket's President Melanie Newell becoming President of Public U.S. Rocket continues operating under its existing brand temporarily with phased integration planned.
• IpsoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored the 2026 Conscious Consumer Report with Ipsos and Engage for Good, surveying over 2,000 Canadians and Americans on conscious consumerism trends, sustainability trust gaps, and values-driven purchasing behaviors.
• Engage for GoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored the 2026 Conscious Consumer Report with Ipsos and Engage for Good, providing industry insights on corporate social impact communications and consumer trust in sustainability claims.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Finn Partners: Independent global PR and integrated marketing firm with a Purpose & Social Impact practice serving nonprofits and corporate foundations; competes for similar social-impact mandates.
• Ogilvy: WPP-owned global creative network with a Purpose / Sustainability practice serving many of the same enterprise brands; broader scope but overlapping capability in purpose-led campaign work.
• Edelman: Global communications firm with a large Purpose / Edeleman Trust Barometer practice serving the same Fortune 500 brand and nonprofit buyers as Public, but as part of a much broader integrated offering.

Emerging players

• Participant Media (Participant Services): Social impact media and advisory company producing purpose-driven campaigns and narrative work for nonprofits and corporations; comparable in cause-driven storytelling capability and mission alignment.
• Mekanism: Independent creative agency with strong purpose and brand-purpose storytelling for challenger and Fortune 500 brands; partial overlap with Public's campaign creative and purpose strategy work.

Direct peers

• Goodwill Communications: Cause-marketing and social impact creative agency working with major nonprofits and corporations on fundraising and advocacy campaigns; directly comparable in services and client type.
• Shelton Group: U.S.-based B Corp creative agency exclusively focused on sustainability and purpose-driven marketing for major brands; directly comparable to Public's sustainability communications and purpose strategy offerings.
• M Booth: Independent creative agency with a dedicated social impact practice serving Fortune 500 brands and major nonprofits; comparable in scale, client roster quality, and award profile to Public.
• LaCroix Davis: Toronto-based purpose-driven creative agency serving nonprofits, foundations, and purpose-led brands across North America; geographically and strategically the closest direct peer to Public.
• Cheer Partners: Independent purpose-led creative agency working with nonprofits and brands on social impact campaigns; comparable business model and client mix to Public's nonprofit partnership work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Public