The new direct-to-family resource hub pairs evidence-based Soccer for Success programming with Colgate-Palmolive’s flagship children’s oral health education program to reach families nationwide.
WASHINGTON, DC (November 3, 2025) – Today, The Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Program (BSBF), which has reached approximately 2 billion children and their families since 1991 with oral health education and resources, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation announced an expanded multi-year partnership. This robust partnership supports programming that taps into the global cultural phenomenon of soccer to help children and families develop healthy habits and reach their full potential and develop on and off the pitch.
The partnership will now include a no-cost direct-to-family oral health and soccer resource hub for children and their families in the lead up to numerous global soccer tournaments coming to the U.S. The collaboration builds on a longstanding partnership between the Foundation and BSBF to help improve children’s overall health and wellbeing, bringing play-driven oral health education directly into homes and communities.
“Teaming up with U.S. Soccer Foundation supports the Colgate BSBF program further its commitment to providing oral health education and resources to children and families,” said Dawna Michelle Fields, Senior Director, BSBF Operations, Colgate-Palmolive North America. “In turn, our collaboration raises awareness about the importance of oral health and teaches healthy habits as we advance Colgate-Palmolive’s purpose to reimagine a healthier future for all.”
“Soccer has the power to unite and inspire—and that makes it a powerful tool for learning,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “By linking the joy of the game with essential oral health habits, we’re helping families build routines that support their children’s well-being for life. This partnership ensures that families everywhere have access to fun, accessible tools that make good oral health a part of everyday life.”
Children and their families will learn how to take care of their oral health through engaging, soccer-related activities and games specially designed to make learning healthy habits fun. Designed to scale access and tackle health disparities for youth and families in under-resourced communities, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Colgate BSBF are making these resources available to anyone, at no cost, through a new Bright Smiles FC online hub. The hub combines expertise from the BSBF curriculum to support family-focused preventive oral health information with activities adapted from the Foundation’s evidence-based Soccer for Success oral health curriculum. Activities can be completed at home with little or no equipment.
The hub was released on November 1 for National Brush Day, the day after Halloween on October 31, to reinforce oral health messaging following high-candy holidays such as Halloween and help families maintain preventive care routines, like brushing for two minutes twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste.
The new resources and materials are designed to be practical and family-friendly, including take-home guides, brief how-to videos, and activities that make brushing and preventive care engaging and easy to adopt. Over the next year, BSBF and the Foundation will also debut the program’s mobile dental units and activation spaces at three Just Ball Unity Cups.
In 2026, the partnership will expand delivery of the Soccer for Success oral health curriculum with additional program partners who operate in under-resourced communities. The Soccer for Success oral health curriculum pairs simple soccer drills and family play activities with age-appropriate oral health lessons and daily hygiene routines.
As a leader in the sports-based youth development space for more than three decades, the U.S. Soccer Foundation continues to help children living in under-resourced communities reach their full potential, improve their well-being, and live healthier lives through soccer. It remains committed to these efforts and is working with local partners and Host Committees to ensure the upcoming Men’s World Cup leaves a legacy beyond what happens in the stadium and into local communities.
About Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is a caring, innovative growth company that is reimagining a healthier future for all people, their pets and our planet. Focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition, we sell our products in more than 200 countries and territories under brands such as Colgate, Palmolive, elmex, hello, meridol, Sorriso, Tom’s of Maine, EltaMD, Filorga, Irish Spring, Lady Speed Stick, PCA SKIN, Protex, Sanex, Softsoap, Speed Stick, Ajax, Axion, Fabuloso, Murphy, Soupline and Suavitel, as well as Hill’s Science Diet, Hill’s Prescription Diet and Prime100. We are recognized for our leadership and innovation in promoting sustainability and community wellbeing, including our achievements in decreasing plastic waste and promoting recyclability, saving water, conserving natural resources and improving children’s oral health through the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program, which has reached approximately 2 billion children and their families since 1991. For more information about Colgate’s global business and how we are building a future to smile about, visit www.colgatepalmolive.com.
About the U.S. Soccer Foundation
As the national leader for sports-based youth development in under-resourced areas, the U.S. Soccer Foundation is on a mission to let soccer do what it does: change absolutely everything. Founded as a legacy of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the Foundation provides underserved communities access to innovative play spaces and evidence-based soccer programs that instill hope, foster well-being, and help youth achieve their fullest potential. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Soccer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information visit www.ussoccerfoundation.org or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Media Contacts
Jennifer Arnold
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
U.S. Soccer Foundation
jarnold@ussoccerfoundation.org
