Center for Organ Recovery & Education

What Center for Organ Recovery & Education does

The Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) is a federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) founded in 1977 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It serves as the exclusive coordinator for organ, tissue, and cornea donation across western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, operating a full pipeline from donor identification and referral through organ recovery, computerized donor-recipient matching, and post-donation family and recipient support. Susan A. Stuart serves as President and CEO.

CORE's product surface spans three service lines: clinical (organ, tissue, and cornea recovery including a dedicated Eye Bank, hospital donor referral systems, medical examiner and funeral director coordination, and clinical research support); donor family services (grief counseling via the Taylor's Gift program, the CORE Remembrance Quilt memorial initiative, the annual A Special Place ceremony in both states, and the Brian A. Broznick Bereavement Center and Garden); and community engagement (school and faith-based education programs, a volunteer corps, DMV-based registration through Pennsylvania DOT and West Virginia Donate Life partnerships, and a 24/7 online registration portal). The organization additionally operates the Gallery of Heroes recognition platform and Team Alleghenies Transplant for recipients.

CORE operates as a non-profit funded primarily through charitable contributions and government contracts and grants typical of CMS-reimbursed OPOs. Registration is free for donors, and donor family and recipient services are provided at no cost. In 2019 CORE received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and in 2025 it reported record-breaking donation numbers alongside investment in cutting-edge organ preservation and donation technology. The organization is a member of AOPO, AATB, and the Donate Life network.

Name

Center for Organ Recovery & Education

Legal name

Center for Organ Recovery & Education

Website

https://core.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CORE is a federally designated non-profit organ procurement organization coordinating organ, tissue, and cornea donation across western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, serving donor families, transplant recipients, and hospital partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organ Procurement and Donation Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991)

akta.pro primary industry

Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Organ procurement services
• Tissue and cornea donation
• Donor family support
• Transplant coordination services
• Eye banking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions: Donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to support CORE's life-saving mission. Charitable contributions fund donor family programs and community outreach.
2. Government Contracts and Grants: As an organ procurement organization (OPO), CORE likely receives federal and state funding for organ recovery services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CORE is a federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates the recovery, preservation, and computerized matching of human organs, tissues, and corneas for transplantation. The organization serves western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, connecting donors with recipients and providing donor family support, eye banking, and community education services.

Product overview

CORE (Center for Organ Recovery & Education) is a nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) that serves western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The organization operates as a unified service platform offering organ, tissue, and cornea donation services, with complementary support programs for donor families, transplant recipients, and medical professionals. Core offerings include donor registration, donation recovery services, and the Eye Bank. Donor family support is provided through interconnected programs including the Taylor's Gift Grief Support Program, the CORE Remembrance Quilt, and the annual A Special Place Ceremony. Professional services encompass donor referrals for hospitals, clinical research support, and eye bank operations. Community engagement is facilitated through education programs, volunteer opportunities, and the Gallery of Heroes recognition platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organ, Tissue and Cornea Donation Services Facilitates organ, tissue, and cornea donation and recovery, connecting donors with recipients. One person can save up to 8 lives through organ donation and heal up to 75 people through tissue donation.
• Online Donor Registration Online portal enabling individuals to register as organ donors through the CORE website 24/7 or via Pennsylvania and West Virginia DMV locations.
• Donor Family Services Comprehensive support services for donor families including grief support, donation outcome updates, communication with recipients, and legacy continuation programs.
• Taylor's Gift Grief Support Program Free grief support for families of organ, eye, and tissue donors, including one-on-one connections with Caring Guides, peer support opportunities, and resources. Founded by the Storch family in memory of their daughter Taylor.
• CORE Remembrance Quilt Memorial program initiated in 2006 where donor families create personalized quilt squares honoring loved ones who gave the gift of life. Quilts are displayed at community events, schools, hospitals, and CORE offices.
• A Special Place Ceremony Annual memorial ceremony held in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia for families of donors from the previous year. Features a granite memorial wall with engraved leaves at CORE's Pittsburgh office.
• Eye Bank Services Eye banking services including cornea recovery and processing for transplantation, operated in partnership with Restore Sight (Eye Bank Association of America).
• Donor Referral Services Hospital referral system allowing medical professionals to identify and refer potential organ donors to CORE for evaluation and recovery.
• Team Alleghenies Transplant Transplant team supporting recipients in the Allegheny region, helping patients navigate and recover from their transplant journey.
• Gallery of Heroes Online recognition of organ donors through inspiring stories shared by their families, accessible at coreheroes.org.

Quantifiable outcome

• One organ donor can save up to 8 lives
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Donate LifecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCORE is affiliated with Donate Life, a national organization promoting organ donation awareness. The partnership helps coordinate national awareness campaigns and provides a unified brand for donation messaging.
• Restore Sight (Eye Bank Association of America)coreTechnology or IntegrationCORE operates an Eye Bank and partners with Restore Sight for cornea recovery services, ensuring proper handling and distribution of donated corneas for transplantation.
• Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCORE is a member of AOPO, which represents organ procurement organizations nationally. This partnership facilitates best practice sharing, advocacy for organ donation policy, and collaboration on industry initiatives.
• American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCORE holds membership in AATB, which sets standards for tissue banking. This partnership ensures CORE follows industry best practices for tissue recovery and handling.
• Pennsylvania Department of TransportationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCORE partners with Pennsylvania DOT to offer organ donor registration at DMV locations throughout the state.
• West Virginia Donate LifecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCORE partners with West Virginia Donate Life to facilitate organ donor registration in West Virginia.
• Taylor's Gift FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaylor's Gift, founded by the Storch family in memory of their daughter Taylor, provides free grief support for families of organ, eye, and tissue donors. CORE shares this resource with donor families.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gift of Life Donor Program: The largest OPO in the United States, serving eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware. Operates the same federally designated OPO model for organ, tissue, and cornea donation as CORE, and is the most direct benchmark for scale and operating model.
• LiveOnNY: Federally designated OPO serving the greater New York metropolitan area. Provides organ, tissue, and eye procurement with comparable donor family services and community education programming to CORE.
• Mid-America Transplant: OPO serving eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and northeastern Arkansas. Operates organ, tissue, and eye recovery with similar hospital-network coordination and community outreach as CORE.
• LifeGift: OPO serving portions of Texas. Provides organ, tissue, and eye donation services with comparable hospital referral infrastructure and community education focus.
• Lifebanc: OPO serving northeast Ohio. Coordinates organ, tissue, and cornea recovery with parallel donor family support programs, making it a close operational peer to CORE.
• Carolina Donor Services: OPO serving central and western North Carolina. Performs the same federally regulated organ and tissue procurement functions as CORE across a defined regional service area.
• Donor Network West: OPO serving northern California and northern Nevada. Comparable organ and tissue recovery operation with similar donor family bereavement and community education programs.
• Tennessee Donor Services: Federally designated OPO serving Tennessee and parts of surrounding states. Operates the same organ, tissue, and eye procurement model as CORE.

Broad incumbents

• LifeNet Health: Large nonprofit organ and tissue procurement organization with national reach, including allograft production and a broad tissue banking business. Comparable to CORE's tissue recovery operations but operating at significantly larger scale across more geographies.
• MTF Biologics: National tissue banking nonprofit that recovers, processes, and distributes musculoskeletal and other tissue grafts. Adjacent to CORE's tissue recovery service line but operates nationally with a much broader product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/COREDonateLife
• Facebookfacebook.com/COREDonateLife
• Instagraminstagram.com/coredonatelife

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Organ Recovery & Education