Who We Are
Empowering Public Health Advocacy Since 1979
How We Started
The Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI), was started with the mission of protecting nonsmokers from tobacco smoke exposure. Founded under the name the Clean Indoor Air Educational Foundation in 1979–we have since expanded our focuses to include gun violence prevention, public health litigation, tobacco policy development, and building a public health movement to make online gambling safer.
Expanding Our Mission
In 1992, we changed our name to the Tobacco Control Resource Center. This change was enacted to reflect our focus on tobacco litigation as a public health strategy. In the beginning of 2001–we began to expand our research and advocacy portfolio. It included legal approaches to prevent obesity, and focused on injury reduction.
Building a Unified Public Health Voice
In 2006, we merged with our sibling organization, the Public Health Advocacy Institute, adopting the name that now represents our unified mission. By 2014, we launched our most ambitious initiative to date: the Center for Public Health Litigation. This public interest nonprofit law center focuses on public health–driven litigation and, when necessary, defending critical public health protections.
Our Commitment Today
Since 1979, our mission has remained constant: improving the overall well-being of the public. PHAI brings together decades of combined experience in public health and law, and continues to use this expertise to advance public health, strengthen protections, and promote social justice.
Please Make a Donation to Support our Mission
The Public Health Advocacy Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization dedicated to using law and policy to reduce addiction, death, and disease caused by dangerous for-profit products and policies such as tobacco, obesogenic foods and beverages, sun lamps, motor vehicles, and working conditions.
We receive no corporate support of any kind, and any grants that are awarded to us do not support advocacy activities. As such, we very much count on contributions from individuals and entities that support our mission.
Please make a donation (via PayPal). As a 501(c)(3) organization, it may be tax-deductible.