The Partnership for a Drug-Free America® is a non-profit coalition of professionals from the communications industry. Using a national drug-education advertising campaign and other forms of media communication, The Partnership exists to help kids and teens reject substance abuse by influencing attitudes through persuasive information.

With deep roots in the advertising industry, the Partnership is comprised of a small staff and hundreds of volunteers from the communications industry, who create and disseminate The Partnership’s work. The organization began in 1986 with seed money provided by the American Association of Advertising Agencies. The Partnership, which receives major funding from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and support from more than 200 corporations and companies, is strictly non-partisan and accepts no funding from manufacturers of alcohol and/or tobacco products. All actors in The Partnership’s ads appear pro bono through the generosity of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

National research suggests that The Partnership’s national advertising campaign – the largest public service campaign in the history of advertising – has played a contributing role in reducing overall drug use in America. Independent studies and expert interpretation of drug trends support its contributions. The New York Times has described The Partnership as “one of the most effective drug-education groups in the U.S.”

In addition to its work on the national level, The Partnership’s State/City Alliance Program supports the Partnership’s mission at the local level. Working with state and city governments and locally based drug prevention organizations, The Partnership provides – at no cost – the guidance, on-site technical assistance and creative materials necessary to shape anti-substance abuse media campaigns tailored to the needs and activities of any given state or city.

The Partnership is participating in the, coordinated by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). While this effort is multi-faceted, at the core of the initiative is a paid advertising program featuring messages created by The Partnership. The Partnership donates all advertising to the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign on a pro bono basis.


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