Science Care: A For-Profit Body Donation Program Advancing Medical Science

Because body donation can be a sensationalized topic, we believe the best way to make an informed decision about end-of-life options is to carefully consider a variety of perspectives.

To jumpstart your self-education, Science Care provides this end-of-life options comparison guide to help summarize the differences between:

• Burial
• Cremation
• University donation
• Organ donation
• Body donation to science

‍Along with nearly all funeral homes and crematories in the U.S., Science Care is a for-profit organization.

Because it can be a tricky thing to determine when researching, Science Care makes every attempt to be as transparent as possible regarding our for-profit tax status. In fact, the very first disclosure provided on our informed donation consent form reads, “1. Science Care is a for-profit company.” 

When researching end-of-life options, you will find that nearly every funeral home and crematory in the United States possesses this same for-profit tax status.

While that similarity exists, you will also find that very few funeral homes and crematories offer any type of no-cost cremation to families.

Based on the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Cremation and Burial Report, the average median cost of a funeral with cremation in 2021 was approximately $6,971.

Major Differences between Body Donation and Traditional End-of-Life Arrangements

Being a non-traditional option for end-of-life care, we know that body donation is not for everyone. However, body donation to science provides opportunities to donors and their loved ones which are generally not available through traditional end-of-life arrangements. Benefits of body donation include:

• Lower financial burden than traditional end-of-life arrangements, due to no-cost cremation services
• Opportunity to leave a legacy rooted in the facilitation of innovation and advancements in medical science

Each individual Science Care donor has the potential to contribute to multiple medical research, training, and educational programs, generating wide-ranging positive impacts, and improving the overall health and longevity of this and future generations to come!

There are few programs in the world that offer services like the Science Care Program. The precious gift of donation provided by individuals within our donor community enables researchers and medical professionals to make advancements in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and ailments which affect us all.

Without the selfless act of each donor, and the contributions they make as they live on through donation, medical science would remain largely static, without innovation or advancement.  

Science Care: No-Cost Cremation for Families 

Science Care not only offers a no-cost cremation option to families, but we also cover all expenses related to the donation, and reimburse funeral homes and crematories for the services required to facilitate donation, including:

• Proper care and accommodations for the donor until arrival at Science Care
• Obtaining all required permits to proceed with the donation process
• Ground and/or air transportation to Science Care facilities 
• Filing for processing of Death Certificates
• Materials and supplies utilized in facilitation of the donation
• Cremation of initial remains

The savings to donors and their loved ones can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars based on the place of passing, and the cost of funeral services available at the time of donation. 

‍Science Care’s Fee-Based System

Science Care operates using a fee-based system. Our clients — such as universities and medical research companies — reimburse the Science Care program based on the cost of services associated with the donation process. This allows us to offer our donation services to the public (i.e. donors and their loved ones) at no cost. 

National Funeral Directors Association Statistics

Should end-of life care with a non-profit or not-for-profit tax status be more aligned with your end-of life care preferences, the following link to the NFDA website may be able to assist with research into alternate providers: https://nfda.org/news/statistics

Among other information, here you will find statistics related to:

• The increasing trend of cremation being selected as the preferred end-of-life option over burial
• The median cost of different types of funerals
• The large percentage of funeral homes in the USA which remain privately owned by families or individuals 
• Economic and financial information pertaining to funeral homes overall

While non-profit options may not appear here, you may come across a provider more aligned with your personal preferences concerning end-of-life care. 

How People Choose End-of-Life Care

Tax status aside, people tend to choose their end-of-life care just as they do all other basic human needs, with consideration made for: personal preference, value (both tangible and intangible), integrity, honesty, service, and consistency.

Our for-profit status allows us to continually focus on improving all aspects of our operations to ensure we consistently provide our donors and their loved ones the level of service and peace of mind they deserve when they opt to leave the world with such a precious gift.