Abbott (NYSE: ABT) and the Big Ten Conference are relaunching their “We Give Blood” campaign as the United States grapples with a severe national blood shortage.
The American Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis for only the second time in its history, after donations dropped to a four-year summer low.
Blood shortages are threatening the availability of lifesaving transfusions for cancer patients, accident victims, and mothers facing pregnancy complications across the country.
All 18 Big Ten universities will compete against one another to generate the highest volume of blood donations throughout the campaign period.
Abbott will award $1 million to the winning school, with funds directed toward student or community health initiatives chosen by that institution.
The 2026 campaign accepts donations made anywhere in the United States from August 12 to December 4, with official competition tracking beginning August 26.
Donors can participate by visiting BigTen.org/Abbott or by texting GIVEBLOOD to 222688 to log their donation for a chosen Big Ten school.
A live leaderboard will track donations in real time, and anyone who presents to donate and logs their gift will receive a limited-edition, school-specific T-shirt while supplies last.
British travel creators Josh and Jase, who have amassed millions of followers documenting their love of American culture, will visit each Big Ten campus throughout the season.
The campaign winner will be announced at the 2026 Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game on December 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The initiative carries added urgency given that 2.5 million donations, nearly a quarter of all donations in the country, currently come from people over the age of 65.
Abbott, which serves as the health sciences and diagnostics partner of the Big Ten Conference, plays a significant role in screening the world’s blood supply.
The University of Wisconsin won the inaugural 2025 competition, inspiring 15,476 blood donations that could save up to 46,428 lives, with overall donations surging 319% compared to 2024.
In 2024, around 20,000 Big Ten students, alumni, and fans donated blood as part of the competition, with each donation capable of saving up to three lives.