The Tobacco Free Zone is part of a network of statewide contractors funded by the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Tobacco Control working to change the community environment to support a tobacco-free norm. The program consists of a community engagement component and a youth action component branded as Reality Check.

The grant work consists of engaging local stakeholders, educating community leaders and the public, and mobilizing community members and organizations to strengthen tobacco-related policies that prevent and reduce tobacco use. Efforts will also focus on reducing youth exposure to harmful tobacco marketing in retail settings, limiting exposure to secondhand smoke in outdoor areas and inside multi-unit housing, and reducing tobacco imagery through the media.