Our programs are designed to deliver meaningful impact through strong partnerships and deep community engagement. A key focus is empowering women as change agents, recognizing their role in strengthening families and communities. By intentionally weaving these strands together, we increase the depth, breadth, and durability of our impact.
Building a Healthier Nation
Oral Health Education
The Evolution of Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® (BSBF)
NGO/Implementation Partners: BharatCares, Social Network India, Tarq Foundation and Oral Health Promotion Foundation
In India, oral health is more than a matter of hygiene, it directly impacts overall well-being, school attendance, and long-term productivity. With 9 out of 10 Indians affected by oral health issues, addressing this challenge requires moving beyond treatment to prevention at scale.
As a strategic response, the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® (BSBF) program has evolved from a CSR initiative into a vital public health movement, designed to address these systemic vulnerabilities by embedding preventive care into the nation's social fabric. Anchored in the formative years (ages 6–15), the program helps embed oral hygiene as a daily practice, creating long-term behavioral change.
BSBF® follows an integrated approach that combines engaging, age-appropriate learning with broader health awareness. Through interactive modules, demonstrations, and activities, children learn not only oral care but also the importance of nutrition, tobacco prevention, hygiene, and preventive health. This is supported by training teachers, Anganwadi workers, and community stakeholders to reinforce these behaviors consistently.
One of the key strengths of the program is its “influencer model,” where children act as ambassadors of change within their families, encouraging better hygiene practices at home and helping shift long-standing habits.
To ensure scale and local relevance, BSBF® is delivered through a strong network of state government bodies, NGOs, and dental organizations, enabling last-mile reach across diverse geographies.
Leveraging Government Partnerships for Scaled Preventive Health
We are strengthening the reach of Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® through strategic partnerships with government institutions, advancing from standalone interventions to integrated, system-led delivery. By aligning with national education platforms such as DIKSHA and NISHTHA under the Ministry of Education, alongside community-based networks like Anganwadi centres under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the program embeds oral health education within established public systems.
This integrated approach enables consistent engagement with children, parents, and caregivers across both school and community settings, supported by structured capacity building of teachers and frontline workers.
By becoming part of routine service delivery, oral health messaging moves beyond one-time awareness to sustained habit formation. Through these partnerships, Colgate continues to scale BSBF® by leveraging the reach, infrastructure, and credibility of government systems, strengthening last-mile delivery and enabling long-term behavior change at scale.
BSBF® is closely aligned with national health priorities, supporting programs such as National Health Policy, Ayushman Bharat's School Health & Wellness Programme, and Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).
Additionally, alignment with Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) is achieved through preventive dental screenings that enables identification and timely care of dental issues within children.
Voices from Government Partners
The future of Haryana is reflected in the smiles of our children. By partnering with Colgate, we are turning oral hygiene into a lifelong habit, ensuring every student has the health and confidence to lead our state forward.
Shri Nayab Singh Saini
Chief Minister of Haryana
Strengthening Public Health
Through Policy Advocacy
Empowering communities begins with strengthening the systems that support their health. At Colgate-Palmolive India, we contribute to the public health ecosystem through active engagement with national initiatives such as the National Oral Health Program under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, alongside collaborations with the Indian Dental Association.
In partnership with the Trained Nurses' Association of India (TNAI), we are integrating oral health into primary healthcare delivery. Through a five-module e-learning program hosted on TNAI and World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) platforms, we aim to equip over 5,00,000 nurses and midwives with essential oral health knowledge by 2026. Supported by the Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives Federation (CNMF) and C3 Collaborating for Health, this initiative enables frontline healthcare workers to deliver oral health education within their communities.
Sparkling Smiles, Lasting Change
The Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® (BSBF) program goes beyond awareness, it inspires action. Across classrooms and communities, simple lessons are turning into everyday habits, with children, families, and educators becoming active participants in better oral health. These stories reflect how knowledge, when shared and practiced, can travel far beyond the classroom, creating confident choices, healthier routines, and meaningful change in daily life.
Keep India Smiling
Education Scholarships
NGO/Implementation Partner: Buddy4Study India Foundation
In India, many talented students from low-income families face barriers in continuing their education beyond school. Financial uncertainty often disrupts their academic journey, limiting their ability to pursue higher studies and build meaningful careers.
The Colgate Keep India Smiling Education Scholarship Program is our focused response to this challenge. Implemented in partnership with the Buddy4Study India Foundation, the program provides need-based financial support that helps students stay on track, even during periods of economic stress. By reducing financial pressure on families, it ensures that a student's progress is shaped by merit and determination.
The program is designed to prioritize students from the most vulnerable backgrounds. It also goes beyond financial assistance by supporting holistic development through a virtual Learning Management System, enabling flexible, self-paced learning and skill-building.
Recognizing that oral health is a critical foundation of overall well-being, we are committed to strengthening India's dental healthcare ecosystem. Today, access to professional dental care remains uneven, with a significant gap in dentist availability, particularly across semi-urban and rural regions. Addressing this challenge requires building capacity at its roots.
By supporting their education and growth, we are helping create a strong network of 'Oral Healthcare Champions' who can expand access, improve outcomes, and bring quality care closer to communities that need it most.
Empowering Potential, Enabling Futures
The Keep India Smiling Scholarship goes beyond financial support, it helps students stay on course when life threatens to derail their ambitions. Across India, scholars are overcoming economic hardships, personal challenges, and social barriers to build meaningful careers. These stories reflect how timely support can restore confidence, unlock potential, and turn aspiration into action.
Keep India Smiling
Digital & Financial Literacy for Women
and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs)
NGO/Implementation Partners: Seva Mandir, Haqdarshak & NIIT Foundation
As India advances towards a digital future, many rural communities, especially women and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), continue to face barriers in accessing digital and financial systems.
Recognizing that true progress must be inclusive, Colgate-Palmolive, in partnership with Seva Mandir, Haqdarshak and NIIT Foundation, continues to expand its Digital & Financial Literacy initiative. What began in 2021 as a focused intervention has now scaled across rural and industrial regions in five states: Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.
By enabling access to welfare benefits worth ₹ 615+ Crore, the program is driving inclusive growth and long-term resilience. Over 800 PwDs have also benefited through improved access to government schemes, gaining greater confidence to participate in the digital economy and build more secure futures.
Since inception, UPI usage among beneficiaries has increased by 75%, while possession of government-approved identity documents has reached 100% coverage and insurance coverage has grown from 8% to 85%.
Digital & Financial Sovereignty through Training
We believe literacy is the first step towards independence. Our village-level sessions go beyond basic awareness, equipping participants with practical knowledge in money management, digital safety, fraud prevention, and access to financial opportunities. Thus, helping them navigate the modern economy with confidence.
Digital Sakhis as Community Changemakers
At the heart of the program are our Digital Sakhis; local women trained to be the architects of change in their own communities. As peer educators, they simplify digital concepts, support families with essential documentation like PAN and Aadhaar, and facilitate access to banking services, becoming trusted guides in everyday financial matters.
Strengthening the Welfare Safety Net
The program also enables end-to-end support for government scheme linkages, helping communities access benefits such as social security pensions, Ayushman Bharat, scholarships, and e-Shram cards. Beyond access, participants are becoming more aware and confident in safeguarding themselves against digital fraud.
Powering Transformation
Real empowerment begins when access meets awareness. Through our Digital & Financial Literacy initiatives, we are helping individuals move from exclusion to participation, enabling them to access entitlements, build livelihoods, and make informed decisions. Across phases of the program, these stories reflect how the right support, delivered at the right time, can unlock confidence, independence, and long-term resilience.
Healthy communities thrive in clean, resource-secure environments. At Colgate- Palmolive India, our approach to environmental stewardship focuses on responsible water management and sustainable waste practices, thereby extending beyond our operations into the communities we serve.
We work to address challenges such as water scarcity, access to safe resources, and inefficient waste systems by building awareness, enabling behaviour change, and strengthening local infrastructure.
We recognize that long-term social change requires strong collaborations and partnerships with both governmental and non-governmental organizations, ensuring that our efforts create lasting, widespread impact.
3
Waste Management
NGO/Implementation Partner: Nepra Foundation
Across regions, from Sri City in Andhra Pradesh to Baddi in Himachal Pradesh and Sanand in Gujarat, waste management continues to be a systemic challenge. Limited collection infrastructure, low awareness, and the absence of circular systems often result in open dumping, burning, and environmental degradation. Through our Rural Waste Management Program, we are addressing this challenge through an integrated, community-led model that treats waste as a resource.
Our approach is built on four key pillars:
Driving Behavior Change
Community and school-led workshops promote segregation at source and build everyday habits, with children emerging as key change agents.
Enabling Dignified Livelihoods
Safai Saathis are integrated into the system as trained professionals, creating green jobs and strengthening local economies.
Building Circular Systems
Structured processes for collection, segregation, and responsible end-use ensure waste is channeled into recycling and recovery streams.
Recovering Resources
By diverting waste from landfills, the program reduces carbon emissions and supports a circular economy.
The waste management and community engagement programs have yielded significant positive results across several critical dimensions:
- Community health & well-being through reduction in sanitation-related illnesses and infections.
- Livelihood dignity & socio-economic empowerment through Safai Saathis.
- Environmental stewardship & civic ownership, resulting in increased awareness, cleaner surroundings and substantial decrease in use of single-use plastics.
Pursuing Circularity with a Human Heart
True impact is visible when communities begin to live the change. Through our waste management program, cleaner surroundings are improving health, restoring dignity to livelihoods, and building a sense of shared responsibility. What began as waste collection has evolved into a system where people, practices, and purpose come together to create lasting change.
Voices from Government Partners
When communities begin to understand their role in waste management, cleanliness starts moving from a Colgate campaign to a habit.
Segregation at source is a critical first step towards protecting the environment and securing a better future. It is encouraging to see communities in Baddi learning, participating, and taking steps towards responsible waste management.
Ms. Sonakshi Tomar, IAS
CEO–BBNDA & Commissioner–Municipal Corporation,Baddi, Himachal Pradesh
Promoting Environmental Stewardship
Water Augmentation
for Livelihood &
Women Empowerment
NGO/Implementation Partner: Seva Mandir
What began in 2017 as a feasibility study in the rugged terrain of Udaipur has evolved into a self-sustaining ecosystem of change. Today, our partnership with Seva Mandir is no longer just about infrastructure, it is about resilience.
Rejuvenating the Source
Water lies at the core of this transformation. In FY 2025–26, we focused on rejuvenating local water systems by repairing and restoring 18 water harvesting structures, enabling the replenishment of 30 million liters of water. This has improved access for over 40,000 beneficiaries and strengthened water availability through lean seasons.
It has also reduced the time women spend collecting water by up to 60 minutes a day, freeing nearly 15 days annually for more productive pursuits.
Diversifying Livelihoods
With water security in place, communities have begun to diversify their livelihoods. Over 700 farmers have shifted to vegetable and floriculture farming, while 120 individuals have been trained in modern animal husbandry, creating additional income streams. Many households have reported monthly income increases of ₹ 4,000 to ₹ 5,000, supported by improved soil fertility through silt reuse and a growing shift towards organic practices such as Jeevan Amrit and Neemastra.
Women as Architects of Change
Women are central to this change. The formation of 18 Self-Help Groups has created platforms for leadership, financial participation, and local governance. With reduced dependence on water collection, women are now leading community initiatives, managing enterprises, and ensuring continuity in education for their children.
Above, Beyond and into the Future
A thriving community needs more than just income; it needs health. Through the integration of WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), we reached 25,000+ children and reinforced the link between clean water, hygiene, and long-term well-being. At the same time, ecological benefits are becoming visible, with 63.3% of beneficiaries reporting improved groundwater levels and environmental restoration.
To ensure sustainability, communities have adopted a user-ownership model, contributing monthly towards the maintenance of water infrastructure. This shift from access to accountability has strengthened long-term program viability.
Our impact is measured not just in liters, but in legacy. By integrating groundwater recharge with bio-resource adoption, we have ensured that 99% of our farmers are now chemical-free, while our women have achieved a 100% improvement in social standing within their villages. We aren't just replenishing water; we are recharging the socio-economic future of Rajasthan.
Where Water Flows, Progress Follows
We make India smile when access creates opportunity and learning leads to lasting change. In rural Rajasthan, water augmentation is doing more than improving availability. It is strengthening livelihoods, shaping healthier habits, and enabling communities to move forward with confidence.
Through our partnership with Seva Mandir, this initiative connects water security with livelihood development and behavior change. The result is visible across farms, schools, and homes, where individuals are not just adapting to change but leading it. These stories from Rajasthan reflect how the right support, delivered at the right time, can turn everyday challenges into pathways for growth.
Employee Volunteering
At Colgate-Palmolive India, employee volunteering is an integral part of how we create meaningful social impact. We encourage our people to contribute their time, skills, and compassion through initiatives that reflect our core values and commitment to community well-being. From conducting waste segregation workshops and plastic collection drives to supporting school libraries and mentoring young learners, our employees are actively engaging with communities and driving change at the grassroots.
By promoting better hygiene, access to learning, and responsible environmental practices, we aim to equip communities with the knowledge and tools for a healthier, more sustainable future. These efforts reflect our belief that collective action can create lasting impact.
A Complete Range
For Every Smile
