Budweiser changes its bottle design to help raise $2.5 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides post-secondary educational scholarships for families of U.S. military personnel killed or disabled while on service.

Photo: Budweiser new bottles

A special red, white and blue limited-edition packaging will be rolled out this summer. This will be the first step in the brand’s summer initiative in which the brand will contribute a portion of all sales from May 20 to July 7. The patriotic bottle comes with one of five decorated bottle caps, while Budweiser cans and secondary packaging also will convert to red, white and blue for a limited time.

“It’s going to be a red, white and blue summer for Budweiser—most visibly in our packaging but more importantly in our philanthropic support for the families of America’s fallen heroes through the Folds of Honor Foundation,” said Rob McCarthy, vice president of Budweiser at Anheuser-Busch. “Our partnership with Folds of Honor is helping to make a difference in the lives of families whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms we all hold so dear.”

Other elements of Budweiser’s ‘Red, White and Blue Summer’ campaign include ‘Walk Off a Hero,’ an initiative during which Budweiser will donate $5,000 for every walk-off during baseball’s 2012 regular season to the Folds of Honor Foundation. Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet, will spotlight a special Budweiser red, white and blue paint scheme for races at various speedways starting the end of May.

Being is the official sponsor of Team USA during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Budweiser will unveil a 16-ounce aluminum bottle with the Team USA logo. Finally, Budweiser wholesalers will hold sampling events for the brand in mid-June, including on Flag Day itself, June 14.

In March, the beer brand launched a web site where consumers can ‘track their Bud’.