Kidneys for Communities and National CineMedia (NCM) Announce Partnership to Expand Life-Saving Living Donor Campaigns Nationwide

Cinema advertising platform brings community-directed kidney donation stories to theaters across the country after successful pilot program

TOLEDO, Ohio, May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kidneys for Communities, a national nonprofit increasing access to life-saving kidney transplants through community-directed living donation, and National CineMedia (NCM), the largest cinema advertising network in the United States, announced a strategic partnership today. The collaboration leverages the power of storytelling on the big screen to inspire living kidney donation and connect patients with potential donors in their own communities.

The partnership comes after a highly successful pilot program with ads running before showtime, including:

• One campaign generated more than 8,200 views over a six-week period and led to 18 donor sign-ups, which ultimately led to a successful match. 
• Previous NCM-supported efforts have resulted in hundreds of donor applications.

Through this partnership, Kidneys for Communities and NCM are deploying targeted, in-theater advertising campaigns that feature real patients in need of kidney transplants. These campaigns appear before films in major theater chains including AMC, Cinemark, and Regal, and use QR codes to drive audiences directly to Kidneys for Communities’ donor registration platforms or personalized patient pages. As part of the collaboration, NCM is donating advertising inventory and production costs to support these life-saving campaigns.

What makes the partnership especially unique is its origin. NCM employee Ricky Hernandez, a kidney transplant recipient, was the first to use cinema advertising for his own living donor campaign, an effort that ultimately led to his successful transplant. After experiencing the impact firsthand, Hernandez helped bring the concept to Kidneys for Communities to scale its reach and impact.

“This partnership represents a breakthrough in how we reach and engage potential living donors,” said Atul Agnihotri, CEO of Kidneys for Communities and a kidney transplant recipient. “By bringing these deeply personal stories into movie theaters—where audiences are already emotionally engaged—we are creating a powerful new pathway for connection, compassion, and ultimately, life-saving action.”

“This partnership is deeply personal for our team. Ricky’s story showed us firsthand how the big screen can help identify everyday heroes who are willing to step forward to help someone in need. This emphasizes what we’ve been telling advertisers for years, that cinema is the place to find critical engaged audiences. We’re proud to scale that impact alongside Kidneys for Communities and to use our platform to support a cause this meaningful,” said Maria Woods, Chief Legal Officer and Head of Human Resources of, NCM.

NCM’s platform enables highly targeted outreach, allowing campaigns to reach key demographic audiences, in a uniquely powerful environment. Proprietary algorithms place kidney donation messages alongside family-oriented films, ensuring the content reaches viewers most likely to respond. The movie theater is one of the last places where audiences give their full, undivided attention — without second screens or the ability to skip. That focus translates into ad recall as high as 74%, compared to 28% for social media. For campaigns like these, higher recall means more people stepping forward to help.

Kidneys for Communities and NCM are exploring opportunities to expand the partnership into a broader initiative, potentially supporting dozens of patient campaigns annually and testing different outreach strategies, including community-specific messaging. The collaboration aligns closely with Kidneys for Communities’ mission to address the national shortage of living kidney donors by unlocking the power of community networks and innovative outreach.

More than 100,000 people nationwide are currently waiting for a kidney transplant. Killing more people than breast cancer or prostate cancer, kidney disease has, in recent years, been named by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a leading cause of death in the U.S. CDC data shows that kidney disease affects an estimated 35.5 million people in the U.S., and approximately 90% of those with kidney disease don’t know they have it.

About Kidneys for Communities
Kidneys for Communities is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives by increasing access to kidney transplants through living donation. The organization partners with communities, unions, employers, municipalities, and first responder organizations to educate, support, and connect donors and recipients, increasing the likelihood that a life-saving kidney can be directed to a fellow community member in need. Addressing the national shortage of living kidney donors through proactive outreach, Kidneys for Communities developed the first-ever national community-directed donation program, which unlocks connections within membership-based communities and expands the impact of paired kidney exchange. To learn more or find out how to help first responders in need of a kidney transplant, visit their website.

About National CineMedia
National CineMedia, Inc. (NCM, NASDAQ:NCMI) is the largest cinema advertising platform in the U.S. With unparalleled reach and scale, NCM connects brands to sought-after young, diverse audiences through the power of movies and pop culture. A premium video, full-funnel marketing solution for advertisers, NCM enhances marketers’ ability to measure and drive results. NCM’s Noovie® Show is presented exclusively in 41 leading national and regional theater circuits including the only three national chains, AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE:AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (a subsidiary of Cineworld Group PLC). NCM’s cinema advertising platform, including Spotlight, consists of more than 18,500 screens in over 1,650 theaters in 185 Designated Market Areas® (all of the top 50). NCM is the managing member and owner of 100% of National CineMedia, LLC (NCM LLC). For more information, visit www.ncm.com.

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SOURCE Kidneys for Communities