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United Tissue Network

Phoenix, AZ · EIN 461285250 · Form 990 · FY2022 · NTEE E65 · Health Care · Medium ($1M-$10M) · unitedtissue.org
revenue
$4.9M
expenses
$4.1M
net assets
$2.1M
employees
37
program ratio
83%
mission · from form 990

Procure, preserve and distribute cadaveric tissue specimans to support scientific research and education.

profile · synthesized from sources

United Tissue Network is a nonprofit organization that facilitates whole body donation for medical research and education. The organization honors donors and their families through tributes and stories, emphasizing the impact of donations on advancing science and training. Based in Arizona, it operates within the health care sector and supports donor families throughout the donation process.

named programs · 2 · from sources

what they call their work

Donor Tributes and Stories
Shares personal stories and tributes from donor families to honor contributions and raise awareness about the donation process
Whole Body Donation Program
Facilitates the donation of whole bodies for use in medical research, surgical training, and anatomical education
activities · 6 clusters

what they do

  • Whole-Body and Tissue Donation Program 8 activities
    • Facilitate Whole-Body Donation for Medical Education and Research
      Operates a whole-body donation program that contributes to medical research and education, having helped over 20,000 families since 2009. This includes processing donor bodies and tissues for educational and training programs, ensuring ethical handling and disposition.
    • Facilitate Whole-Body Donation for Medical Education and Research
      Operates a whole-body donation program that contributes to medical research and education, having helped over 20,000 families since 2009. This includes ethical handling and disposition of donor bodies for health science education.
    • Operational oversight and facility management
      Manages day-to-day operations at the Phoenix site, including family intake, donor and tissue processing, cremation coordination, and inventory management. Operates partner facilities nationwide with deployed technicians supporting educational programming.
    • Operational oversight at Phoenix facility
      Manages day-to-day operations at the Phoenix site, including family intake, donor processing, tissue processing, and inventory management.
    • Tissue Distribution and Logistics
      Ships tissue, either frozen or thawed, using validated shipping partners in compliance with state, federal, and international regulations. Each shipment includes serology test results and medical-social history, delivered only to authorized personnel or UTN staff.
    • Tissue procurement, processing, and logistics
      Procures, processes, and ships human tissue in compliance with state, federal, and international regulations (including IATA standards), offering frozen or thawed tissue delivery in secure, branded containers only to authorized personnel or UTN staff.
    • Whole-body donation program for medical education and research
      Operates a whole-body donation program that supports medical education and research by procuring, processing, and distributing tissue to partner institutions. The program includes donor screening, medical-social history collection, serology testing, and ethical handling in compliance with state anatomical boards and health regulations.
    • Whole-body donation program for medical education and research
      Operates a whole-body donation program that supports medical education and research by procuring, processing, and distributing tissue to educational institutions and training programs. The organization has facilitated donations for over 20,000 families since 2009.
  • High-Volume Donor Infectious Disease Testing 4 activities
    • Maintain State Accreditations
      Holds accreditations from the New York State Department of Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services, demonstrating compliance with state standards for tissue bank operations and meeting health and safety licensing requirements.
    • Maintain State Accreditations and Compliance
      Holds accreditations from the New York State Department of Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services, demonstrating compliance with state standards and licensing requirements for tissue bank operations and procurement.
    • Regulatory compliance and accreditation
      Maintains accreditation from the New York State Department of Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services, demonstrating compliance with state health, safety, and licensing standards for tissue bank operations. Recognized by the Oklahoma State Anatomical Board as a compliant donor program.
    • State accreditation and regulatory compliance
      Maintains accreditation and licensing from state health authorities including the New York State Department of Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services, demonstrating compliance with tissue bank and tissue procurement regulations.
  • Conservation and Green Burial Services 3 activities
    • Free cremation and final expense support services
      Provides cost-free cremation and covers all associated expenses—including transportation, cremation, and return of ashes—for individuals who donate their bodies through the program. Services are available in Arizona, Florida, and Nevada, with average savings of $1,200 to $7,000 for families.
    • Provide Cost-Free Cremation Services
      Covers all costs for transportation, cremation, and return of ashes for donors, offering free cremation services in Arizona, Florida, and Nevada for individuals who pledge a whole-body donation or have recently passed. This results in average savings of $1,200 to $7,000 in final expenses.
    • Provide Cost-Free Cremation and Final Expense Savings
      Covers all costs for transportation, cremation, and return of ashes for individuals who donate their bodies, offering free cremation services in Arizona, Florida, and Nevada. This service enables average savings of $1,200 to $7,000 in final expenses for donor families.
  • School-Based Youth Workshops and Curriculum Programs 2 activities
    • Support Educational Programming
      Operates partner facilities in cities across the US and Canada and deploys skilled technicians to support educational programming at these locations.
    • Support Educational Programming at Partner Facilities
      Deploys skilled technicians to support educational programming at partner facilities located in cities across the US and Canada.
  • Professional Support for Tissue Donation 1 activity
    • Tissue procurement, processing, and distribution
      Procures, processes, and ships human tissue for medical training and education across the U.S. and Canada. Services include donor tissue recovery, frozen or thawed shipment via validated partners, secure packaging compliant with IATA and federal regulations, and delivery only to authorized personnel.
  • Uncategorized 4 activities
    • Tissue Distribution and Logistics
      Ships tissue using validated shipping partners in compliance with state, federal, and international regulations, including IATA standards. Tissue is shipped either frozen or thawed based on event timing, delivered in branded, marked boxes only to authorized personnel or UTN staff, and includes serology test results and medical-social history with each shipment.
    • Tissue Procurement and Processing
      Manages the day-to-day operations of family intake, donor processing, tissue processing, and inventory management. This includes testing all donors for Hepatitis B and C, HIV 1 and 2, and providing a complete medical-social history for each donor with personal information suppressed.
    • Tissue Procurement and Processing
      Procures any type of tissue required for specific education or training programs based on donor medical-social history, physical intake, serology results, medical records, and client needs. This includes testing all donors for Hepatitis B and C, HIV 1 and 2 using a CLIA-certified laboratory, and providing a complete medical-social history for each donor.
    • Tissue safety testing and donor screening
      Conducts mandatory infectious disease testing (Hepatitis B and C, HIV 1 and 2) for all donors using CLIA-certified laboratories and compiles a comprehensive medical-social history—excluding personal identifiers—for each donor to ensure tissue safety and suitability.
financials · form 990 · fy2022

the money

revenue
Total revenue$4.89M
Contributions & grants$500%
Program service revenue$4.89M100%
Investment income$9100%
Other revenue$3K
expenses
Total expenses$4.15M
Program expenses83%
Admin / overhead17%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$1.39M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$4.60M
Cash$446K
Investments$0
Liabilities$2.46M
Net assets$2.13M
Liquid reserves1.3 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2022 · YoY revenue +49.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2022

who runs it

paid leadership · 3
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
David Breedlove President 40 $430K
Christine Rapisura Director of Operations 40 $132K
Chelsy Smith Director of Quality Systems 40 $88K
board members · 7
  • Christina Pendleton — Director of Admin and Finance
  • Hal Ezzell — Vice President
  • Jack Bott — Director
  • Jackie Smith — Director of Sales and Marketi
  • Karen Valhberg — Director
  • Nicole Jarvis — Director
  • Paul Gillum — Director
relationships · 9

who they work with

  • American Association of Tissue Banks Government — Accrediting body for United Tissue Network
  • American Association of Tissue Banks Network — Member organization accredited by AATB for non-transplant anatomical donation.
  • American Association of Tissue Banks Partner — Accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks, ensuring high standards of care and ethics.
  • Arizona Department of Health Services Government — State agency licensing UTN as a health and safety compliant tissue procurement organization.
  • Better Business Bureau Government — Rated organization with an A rating at both office locations for ethical business practices.
  • CLIA-certified laboratory Government — Utilizes CLIA-certified laboratories for donor infectious disease testing.
  • New York State Department of Health Government — Accrediting body ensuring compliance with state operational standards for tissue banks.
  • Oklahoma State Anatomical Board Government — State board recognizing UTN as an approved donor program for anatomical donation in Oklahoma.
  • medical professionals Partner — Cultivates strong relationships with medical professionals.