The Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American nonprofit organization that produces, distributes, and promotes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including nonprofit organizations, non-governmental organizations and agencies of the United States government. The Ad Council partners with advertising agencies which work pro bono to create the public service advertisements on behalf of their campaigns. The organization accepts requests from sponsor institutions for advertising campaigns that focus on particular social issues. To qualify, an issue must be non-partisan (though not necessarily unbiased) and have national relevance. The Ad Council distributes the advertisements to a network of 33,000 media outlets—including broadcast, print, outdoor (i.e. billboards, bus stops), and Internet—which run the ads in donated time and space. Media outlets donate approximately $1.8 billion to Ad Council campaigns annually. If paid for, this amount would make the Ad Council one of the largest advertisers in the country. Beyond advertisements across broadcast, print and digital, campaign efforts often include virtual panels, coalition building, and information sharing. President and CEO Lisa Sherman has referred to an evolving model that can reach Americans through both “an air game and a ground game,” which involves direct community engagement. In 2020, the Ad Council coordinated with partners across government, media, tech and health to disseminate messaging about social distancing, wearing masks and staying home when possible to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2021, they announced the COVID-19 Vaccine Education initiative in partnership with COVID Collaborative and more than 300 partners. History The organization was conceived in 1941, and it was incorporated as The Advertising Council, Inc., on February 26, 1942, On June 25, 1943, it was renamed The War Advertising Council, Inc. for the purpose of mobilizing the advertising industry in support of the war effort for the ongoing Second World War. Early campaigns encouraged enlistment to the military, the purchase of war bonds, and conservation of war materials. Before the conclusion of World War II President Franklin D. Roosevelt requested that the Ad Council continue its work during peacetime. On February 5, 1946, The War Advertising Council officially changed its name back to The Advertising Council, Inc., and shifted its focus to issues such as atomic weapons, world trade and religious tolerance. In 1945, the Ad Council began working with the National Safety Council. Since Roosevelt, every U.S. president has supported the Ad Council's work. In