Premier Protein launches grants and shake tour for nurses' support

Premier Protein is tying its National Nurses Week push to a clear business and social message: protein is not just for workouts, it is for long shifts, shift workers and the people caring for them. The Emeryville, California, brand opened its 2026 Shakes for Shifts Grants Program on May 6, offering ten $2,500 grants, or $25,000 total, to nurses pursuing continuing education.

The application asks nurses for a short essay of 200 words or less explaining why they should be selected and how the grant would support their education goals. Premier Protein said the program is meant to help nurses overcome financial barriers while reinforcing the practical role of portable protein in demanding clinical schedules. That positioning matters in a category that has long relied on gym-floor imagery and fitness-first messaging.

Alongside the grants, Premier Protein launched a Hospital Sampling Tour that will distribute nearly 40,000 shakes in San Francisco, Houston and Philadelphia from May through June 2026. The company also said nurses nationwide can save 30% on Premier Protein High Protein Shakes on Amazon during National Nurses Week by using code Premier30, while supplies last. Together, the grants, sampling and discount push the brand deeper into a use-case strategy that links product trial to workplace relevance.

The campaign extends a platform Premier Protein introduced in 2025, when it framed Shakes for Shifts as a long-term purpose-driven effort and announced a $450,000 sponsorship of the American Nurses Association. Last year’s rollout included free shakes at UMC Health System and Texas Tech University in Lubbock, the DFW Great 100 Nurses in Arlington, Sally L. Bailey Education Center in Dunedin, and Suburban Hospital, part of Johns Hopkins Medicine, in Bethesda. Premier Protein also said it would support nurses at the ANCC National Magnet and Pathway to Excellence Conference and sponsor a Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation challenge.

BellRing Brands, Premier Protein’s parent company, said in its 2025 annual report that Premier Protein posted 17% net sales growth, reached 22% household penetration and remained the No. 1 ready-to-drink protein shake brand. BellRing reported 2025 net sales of $2.3166 billion, underscoring why the brand has room to invest in higher-profile cause marketing that reaches beyond the supplement aisle.

The timing is sharp. National Nurses Week runs May 6 to May 12, 2026, and the American Nurses Association’s theme is “The Power of Nurses.” The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says registered nurses numbered 3.391 million in 2024, earned a median annual wage of $93,600 and are projected to see about 189,100 average annual openings from 2024 to 2034. With ANA’s Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation program emphasizing nutrition, sleep, mental health, physical activity, quality of life and safety, Premier Protein’s campaign is built to look less like a promotion and more like a brand claiming a place in nurse wellness, career support and everyday convenience.