TTAC Questions and Answers

Q1. What is the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium?

A1. TTAC is a tobacco control organization dedicated to assisting organizations in developing highly effective tobacco prevention and control programs. We provide expert assistance, in-depth information, customized trainings, and a wide variety of services to help all levels of tobacco control efforts be successful. TTAC is located in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

Q2. How is TTAC’s funded?

A2. TTAC was originally funded by grants from the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Legacy Foundation (Legacy), and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). TTAC is currently funded by the American Legacy Foundation, fees from contracted services with states/clients to provide training and technical assistance services, special project funding, and the pursuit of grants and support from other funding sources.

Q3. Who uses TTAC services?

A3. TTAC services, including technical assistance, products and tools, and trainings are used by public health professionals working in tobacco control at the national, state, and community level. Public health professionals from other health arenas have also accessed TTAC’s services. You can learn more about the TTAC services available by consulting TTAC services and contacting the organization.

Q4. What technical assistance will TTAC provide?

A4. TTAC concentrates its efforts on helping organizations develop and strengthen the set of skills necessary to plan, conduct, and evaluate tobacco control programs. Most often, TTAC is called upon to provide technical assistance in areas such as: program management, program evaluation, effective program and policy approaches, strategic planning, diversity, coalition building, partnering, and community organizing. While our TA covers a wide range of topics, TTAC will refer or work with a number of partner organizations to provide technical assistance in areas that fall outside TTAC’s areas of expertise, such as media and counter-marketing, cessation, and school based approaches.

Q5. What training does TTAC provide?

A5. TTAC provides training when a careful assessment of a program’s needs indicates that specific training is required in order to build the program’s capacity in some particular area/s. In these cases the preference would be to identify or enhance existing training resources. TTAC often provides support in assessing training needs, developing training plans, and designing training programs.
 
TTAC currently offers trainings on tobacco prevention and control basics, program evaluation, cultural competency, policy development and advocacy, organization and coalition development, strategic planning, as well as fundraising and sustainability strategies.

Q6. How is what TTAC does different than CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health or other organizations like Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), SmokeLess States®, and Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights?

A6. There are many organizations providing excellent services to the field of tobacco control. Rather than duplicate these efforts, TTAC strives to fill a unique niche in technical assistance and training, by providing expertise in both tobacco control content as well as quality training and technical assistance services grounded in an acute understanding of adult learning. TTAC also works closely to coordinate services with other national organizations that provide specialized trainings.
 
With TTAC’s internal staff, external consultants, and its 5-year history specializing in training and technical assistance services, we are uniquely qualified to customize training and technical assistance services to meet the specific yet varied needs of people and organizations who contact us. TTAC bridges gaps and limitations that may result among the many different providers or training programs and technical assistance programs. People often come to TTAC as a first stop when they don’t know where else to go, or the last stop when they haven’t been able to find the help they need anywhere else. Either way, TTAC is uniquely situated to provide the help needed.