Piramal Foundation, Gates Foundation, others launch poverty-focused initiative in 5 states

A group of philanthropic organisations led by the Piramal Foundation and the Gates Foundation have launched the Sangam Collaborative, an initiative aimed at improving health, education and nutrition outcomes across five states where an estimated 70 million people live in multidimensional poverty.

The Collaborative brings together the Piramal Foundation, Gates Foundation, A.T.E. Chandra Foundation, Dhanam Foundation, Surgo Foundation and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, and will work with government agencies to strengthen public service delivery in Jharkhand, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Bihar.

The initiative was unveiled at the AVPN Global Conference 2026 here on Wednesday in New Delhi, a joint statement said.

The Collaborative said it will focus on improving institutional capacity, leadership, talent, processes and data systems in health and education delivery, working alongside local and international technical experts.

It also said the model draws on Bihar's experience, where a long-running partnership between the state government, the Gates Foundation, the Piramal Foundation and other partners has helped strengthen public health institutions and data systems.

"Lasting change comes when we strengthen the public systems that touch people's everyday lives," Piramal said, adding that the effort aimed to contribute to "a stronger, more inclusive and more prosperous Viksit Bharat."

Suzman said India had made "remarkable progress in reducing multidimensional poverty over the past decade," citing government-led programmes and the application of technology at scale.

He said the Gates Foundation remained committed to its partnership with India through initiatives such as the new Collaborative.

Chandra said poverty at the scale seen in the target states could not be addressed through "isolated acts of philanthropy", and called for combining government scale, philanthropic risk capital and the last-mile reach of civil society groups.

Ram Shriram, President of the Dhanam Foundation, said the initiative reflected the need for "collective action and long-term commitment" to tackle multidimensional poverty.

Kate Hampton, CEO of the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, said investment in stronger systems and leadership could "accelerate pathways out of poverty at scale" and offer lessons for communities beyond India.

The organisations did not disclose the size of funding commitments to the Collaborative.