UTN is a Nonprofit 501(c)(3)
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Whole Body Donation for Medical Education & Science

A cost-free alternative to traditional funeral and cremation services.

We understand that making end-of-life decisions can be overwhelming. Donating your body, or your loved one’s body, to medical education is one of the most meaningful decisions you can make to help the lives of others now and into the future.

Since 2009, we have helped nearly 12,000 families mitigate or eliminate final expenses and contribute to medical education. Individual whole body donation contributes to thousands of people’s successful medical procedures.

Start A Whole Body Donation

Cost-Free End of
Life Option

Free Cremation Services

The Only True
501(c)(3) Non-Profit

AATB Accredited

Locations in
Arizona and Florida

With Local Staff

Caring & Professional Staff Available 24/7 to Help You Every Step of the Way

You Are Not Alone

The United Tissue Network Process

How to get started quickly

Register a Loved One or Pledge Yourself
Experience a Call with an Expert Donor Services Coordinator
Have The Whole Process & Cremation Services Covered
Know that Your Donation Will Help Advance Medical Education & Science
Start A Whole Body Donation

Donor Experiences

“Momma never met a stranger and always wanted to contribute to make things better for someone else. She was excited to learn even with her cancer, she could contribute and help someone after her passing!! Thank you for making that happen!!”
Michele M
“I retired from 30 years of teaching in 2012. I have one more thing to offer to education once I pass away. Donating myself will be my last teachable moment in this world. I am praying that something positive will result from my tissue, organ, and body donation. Helping others is what I have made a career of, and people of all ages can benefit from my gift.”
Patty R.
“It seems very fitting and within her character to be an organ and tissue donor. I know even if she could help one person through her donation or help some advancement in procedures or technology, she’d be grateful.”
Jarod P.

Medical Expert Experiences

“The United Tissue Network Lab is beneficial for my students. It gives the student actual human “patients” to develop and practice their skills. The response I receive from my students is always very positive, as they come away with a great feeling of accomplishment. Human tissue provides the most realistic training opportunity.”
George C
“Being able to learn and practice on human tissue made me a better doctor, without a doubt. I’m so grateful to the donors who helped me become one of the best surgeons in my field.”
John M.
“Using human tissues to understand human anatomy and disease improves the quality of science.”
Charles K.
Start A Whole Body Donation

UTN is a Non-profit 501(c)(3) and Accredited Organization

Avoid these heartbreaking experiences.

Work with UTN for a better and more meaningful experience.

  • Avoid receiving ashes outside the promised period
  • Avoid waiting for death certificates which holds up closing the estate (in Arizona)
  • Avoid poor communication with the process
  • Avoid offshore customer support and unresponsive reps
  • Avoid wondering whether your loved ones’ ashes are theirs
  • Avoid uncertainty about the use of the donation
Start A Whole Body Donation

With United Tissue Network You Will

Save $1,200 – $7,000 in final expense and cremation costs on average

Have certainty that your loved one’s body will be used for education

Be supported by a Dedicated Donor Services Coordinator

Receive two death certificates

Receive ashes in a TSA-approved container

Experience 24/7 Local Donor Support

Receive bar-coded cremated remains to assure you/your loved ones remains are yours (scanned in/out)

Have confidence that you, or your loved one, will be taken care of wherever they are

We handle the entire process and cover all the costs of the transport from the place of passing, the cremation, and returning ashes to you, if you wish.

Start A Whole Body Donation

Low-Cost Cremation Options for Low-Income Individuals and Families

At United Tissue Network, we understand that end-of-life expenses can be a significant concern for many families. That’s why we’re proud to offer low-cost cremation as part of our whole body donation program.

  • Free Cremation Services: As a UTN donor, cremation is provided at no cost to you or your family.
  • Significant Savings: Save thousands of dollars compared to traditional funeral and cremation services.
  • Quality Assurance: Our cremation services meet the highest standards of care and respect.
  • Streamlined Process: We handle all aspects of cremation, reducing stress for your loved ones.
  • Meaningful Contribution: Your donation supports medical advancement while providing this valuable service to your family.
Start A Whole Body Donation

Whole Body Donation: Donate My Body To Science

Deciding to donate your body to science is a priceless gift to help advance medical technology, training, and education. 

Whole Body Donation provides human tissue for a variety of programs including:

Physician Education

Surgical Training

Device Research and Development

Drug Research and Development

First Responder Training

Once you have registered with United Tissue Network, it does not prohibit a donor’s wishes for organ donation.

However, while organ donation does not prohibit someone from whole-body donation, loved ones will have to coordinate with organ donation organizations. We recommend doing so in a timely manner to ensure all donation timelines are met.

Benefits of Whole Body Donation for Science

  • Whole-body donation contributes to a wide variety of medical advancements, including surgical device development, advanced disease-based research, and hands-on bio skills training.
  • Cadavers provide the most realistic representation of the human anatomy, which is an ideal model to perform advanced surgical training.
  • Donating to United Tissue Network is an assurance that you will positively impact programs that focus on the advancement of bioskills development, surgical training, and education.
  • Because UTN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we are held to a higher standard to educate our communities about the benefits of whole-body donation. UTN is accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), which promotes and oversees the safety, quality, and availability of donated human tissue in the United States for transplant and research purposes.
Start A Whole Body Donation

How does the process of whole body donation to science work?

We have created a registration process that once an individual is under hospice care or end-of-life care, UTN is able to complete the full medical-social history and determine acceptance before passing. At this time, an individual who is accepted into the UTN program before passing will receive a Donor Security Certificate, which is a secured acceptance into our program. We recognize the Donor Security Certificate as a binding contract, which means that we will not decline an approved donor, no matter any changes in health.

UTN covers the basic costs of passing. UTN covers the costs associated with the removal from the place of passing, transportation to one of our facilities, two certified copies of the death certificate, and cremation. Chosen by the family, cremated remains are returned to the family within 4-6 weeks, or can be scattering properly by UTN.

Start A Whole Body Donation

Know Your Options

It is our honor to provide you with all the information needed to make an informed and generous decision about donating your body to science.

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Medical Professionals

United Tissue Network (UTN) is dedicated to honoring the intent of its donors by working with the most innovative and ethical medical educators around the world.

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Accreditation

United Tissue Network (UTN) is accredited by The American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), which is a professional, 501(c)(3) non-profit, scientific and educational organization.

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