Brain Donor Project


Nonprofit that raises awareness about and simplifies human post-mortem brain donation. Connects potential donors to NIH NeuroBioBank-affiliated brain banks via online pre-registration, supports logistics and recovery at time of death, provides disease-focused educational content and media, develops partner toolkits and advocacy activities, facilitates distribution of preserved brain tissue to researchers, and supports post-mortem neuropathology reporting to families.

Industries

medical
neuroscience-e37a
non-profit

Nr. of Employees

small (1-50)

Brain Donor Project


Products

Branded merchandise (fundraising items)

Retail items sold to support the organization and raise awareness (e.g., tote bags, T-shirts, lanyards, posters).

Partner advocacy toolkit (downloadable)

Packaged social media assets, sample posts, logos and guidance for partner organizations to use in coordinated awareness campaigns.


Services

Online pre-registration form and workflow that captures donor intent and initiates referral to partner brain banks for screening and acceptance.

Operational coordination and guidance for families and brain bank partners to enable rapid brain recovery (notifications, transport, recovery specialists) and to reduce burden on families.

Creation and distribution of disease information pages, blogs, newsletters, podcasts, webinars and media partnerships to inform and recruit donors and partners.

Policy engagement and provision of downloadable toolkits and partner materials for organizations to promote brain donation awareness and coordinated campaigns.

Management of charitable contributions, memorial gifts, and merchandise sales to fund outreach and operational activities.

Collection and curation of family and donor testimonials to support outreach and help prospective donors understand the donation experience.

Expertise Areas

  • Brain biobanking coordination and referral
  • Donor recruitment, outreach and education
  • Neuropathology reporting and post-mortem diagnostics
  • Tissue preservation and cold-chain biobanking
  • Show More (4)

Key Technologies

  • Web-based registration and consent platforms
  • Cold-chain cryopreservation (-80°C)
  • Tissue fixation and histology preparation
  • Logistics systems for sample transport and distribution
  • Show More (3)

News & Updates

Article discussing reasons people and families choose brain donation and the personal benefits they report.

Coverage describing preservation workflows (freezing at -80°C and fixation) and how preserved tissue enables advanced research.

Interview with the director of a national mental health research institute about how brain donation supports research into severe mental illness.

Worked with partners to declare May 7 as National Brain Donation Awareness Day via a bipartisan Congressional Resolution (H. Res. 1069 in 2022 and reintroduced as H. Res. 361 in 2023) to raise national awareness of brain donation for research.


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