LifeSource

What LifeSource does

LifeSource is a nonprofit Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) founded in 1989 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As one of 55 federally designated OPOs in the United States, it holds an exclusive service territory covering Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and portions of western Wisconsin — the second-largest geographic region among all OPOs — serving approximately 7 million people and coordinating with 270+ hospitals and 9 transplant centers. The organization's core function is to manage the full organ, eye, and tissue donation lifecycle: receiving hospital referrals, approaching grieving donor families, recovering organs and tissue, coordinating recipient matching through the UNOS DonorNet system, transporting organs using GEGO real-time tracking, and providing long-term aftercare for donor families. Since founding, LifeSource has facilitated more than 15,000 organ transplants and 500,000+ tissue grafts.

Name

LifeSource

Legal name

LifeSource Donation Services

Website

https://life-source.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

LifeSource is a nonprofit Organ Procurement Organization serving Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and western Wisconsin. It coordinates organ, eye, and tissue donation across 270+ hospitals and 9 transplant centers, supporting donor families and facilitating transplants for the region's 7 million residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organ Procurement & Donation Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Organ procurement services
• Tissue and eye donation
• Donor family support
• Transplant coordination
• Community donation education

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Services (No Cost to Families): LifeSource provides organ, eye, and tissue donation services at no cost to donor families. The organization covers all donation-related expenses and works with hospital partners to ensure no fees are passed to families.
2. Donations and Philanthropy: LifeSource generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and community members. Memorial gifts, planned giving, and general donations support public education and donor family care programs.
3. Government and Institutional Grants: LifeSource receives federal grants including HRSA funding for public awareness campaigns and legislatively appropriated funding from Minnesota Department of Health for donation education programs.
4. Golf Classic Fundraiser: Annual golf tournament fundraiser organized since 1995, raising over $2.3 million to support educational programs that increase donor designation and grow resources for donor families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

LifeSource is a federally designated Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) that manages the full organ, eye and tissue donation process — from donor referral and family authorization through clinical assessment, organ recovery, recipient matching via UNOS DonorNet, preservation and transport to 9 transplant centers across the Upper Midwest. It also runs an AATB-accredited tissue recovery program with national processor partners (Cryolife, LifeNet Health, MTF Biologics, RTI Donor Services) and eye recovery partners (SightLife, Dakota Lions Sight & Health), delivering these services at no cost to donor families.

Product overview

LifeSource is an Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) providing a comprehensive suite of services for organ, eye, and tissue donation in the Upper Midwest. The organization operates three core service areas: (1) managing all aspects of donation including organ recovery, recipient matching through UNOS, tissue recovery, and eye recovery; (2) supporting donor families through coordinators, grief resources, memorial events, and legacy recognition programs; and (3) educating communities and healthcare partners through ambassador programs, driver education curriculum, and multicultural outreach. Key programs include the Online Donor Registry (with Apple Health App and MyChart integrations), Transplantation Science in the Classroom, Gallery of Hope, Healing Garden, Check the Box and Talk Donation campaigns, Simulation Laboratory for staff training, UNOS Organ Tracking Service with GEGO technology, Donate Life Symposium, Team MN-DAK Transplant Games participation, Donor Family Quilt, Honor Walk videos, and Heartbeat in a Bottle tokens. LifeSource serves as the critical bridge between donors, families, hospitals, transplant centers, and recipients across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and portions of western Wisconsin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation Management Comprehensive management of organ, eye, and tissue donation including donor assessment, recovery coordination, recipient matching through UNOS, surgical recovery, preservation, and transport of gifts to 9 transplant centers across the Upper Midwest, provided at no cost to donor families.
• Donor Family Support Services Support for organ, eye, and tissue donor families at the time of donation and in months and years following, including Family Support Coordinators, grief resources, memorial events, and bereavement materials in multiple languages.
• Community Education and Outreach Public education programs on organ, eye, and tissue donation, including the Donate Life Ambassador program, driver education curriculum, and multicultural outreach initiatives such as Barbershop Conversations and the Talk Donation campaign.
• Online Donor Registry State-based online donor registry for Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota allowing residents to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors, integrated with Apple Health App and MyChart patient portals.
• Transplantation Science in the Classroom Free interactive organ donation education program for high school students in the Twin Cities metro area featuring hands-on lessons, plastinated human organs, 3D printed organs, tissue samples, and eye specimens, aligned with Minnesota science and health curriculum.
• Simulation Laboratory (SIM Lab) Clinical Training In-house training facility for donation coordinators and clinical teams that has reduced average training time from 110 days to 88 days for field independence.
• Donate Life Symposium Signature biennial education event for healthcare and end-of-life professionals.
• AATB-Accredited Tissue Recovery Program AATB-accredited tissue recovery program managing the tissue donation and recovery process with tissue processing partners including Cryolife, LifeNet Health, MTF Biologics, and RTI Donor Services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,133 organ donors and 14,011 tissue donors since 1989
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Donor AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Partnership between LifeSource and Donor Alliance (OPO for Colorado and Wyoming) to strengthen organ donation and transplantation through the creation of Vital Impact Health Group, a system organization aimed at advancing the field.
• Mercy Hospital (Allina Health)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2021Partnered with MissionGO and LifeSource for first-ever UAS flight carrying human pancreas for research, demonstrating innovative organ transportation solutions.
• Biostasis Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021LifeSource joined the Biostasis Research Institute to initiate human organ banking through cryogenic storage of organs donated for transplantation, aiming to reduce waiting list times and honor the heroism of organ donors.
• APOLLO NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019LifeSource joined the APOLLO study to research kidney donation and transplantation safety in people of African ancestry, investigating the APOL-1 gene's impact on transplant outcomes.
• Dakota Lions Sight & HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2019Partnership to expand opportunities for corneal donation and transplantation, leveraging unique strengths of both organizations to ensure stewardship of gifts through efficiency and quality focus.
• United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)coreTechnology or IntegrationNational membership organization managing the organ matching system. LifeSource has been a member since 1989 and uses UNOS DonorNet system and GEGO tracking technology for organ matching and real-time shipment tracking.
• Donate Life AmericacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational nonprofit dedicated to increasing donor registration. LifeSource is an authorized partner promoting donor registration and managing state-based donor registries for MN, ND, and SD as part of the National Donate Life Registry.
• SightLifecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEye recovery partner for cornea donation, working with LifeSource on recovery, preparation, and distribution of eye donations focusing on returning corneas to recipients in the Upper Midwest.
• CryolifecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTissue processing partner accredited by AATB, receiving donated tissue from LifeSource for careful preparation and transplantation.
• LifeNet HealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTissue processing partner accredited by AATB, preparing donated tissue for transplantation and conducting research including liver cell testing for drug safety studies.
• MTF BiologicscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTissue processing partner accredited by AATB, receiving donated tissue from LifeSource for processing and distribution.
• RTI Donor ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTissue processing partner accredited by AATB, preparing donated tissue for transplantation.
• University of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting multiple studies including pancreatic surgical techniques, cryopreservation of skin, Visible Heart Lab imaging, and immune system research. Founding member of LifeSource in 1989.
• Mayo CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-organ transplant center and research partner studying heart preservation and organ molecular biology. Founding member of LifeSource in 1989.
• NorthPoint Health and Wellness CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based organization providing medical, dental, behavioral health and human services. Community Advisory Council chair provides input on LifeSource equity programs.
• The HUE-MAN PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration of local organizations aimed at reducing health disparities among men in the community, empowering men to make healthy choices for themselves and their families.
• West Broadway Business & Area Coalition (WBC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Minneapolis organization building capacity for businesses and entrepreneurs. LifeSource donated $5000 to support rebuilding efforts following 2020 riots.
• Black Nurses Rock - Twin Cities ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization inspiring and empowering innovative leaders to serve and educate vulnerable communities about organ donation.
• Spokesman RecorderminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOldest black-owned newspaper in Minnesota, supporting LifeSource community outreach and awareness efforts.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tennessee Donor Services: Designated OPO serving Tennessee and parts of Virginia. Operates a comparable multi-hospital referral, donor family support, and community education model as LifeSource.
• LifeCenter Organ Donor Network: Designated OPO serving greater Cincinnati and surrounding areas. Operates similar hospital-based donation referral, donor family support, and community education programs as LifeSource.
• LifeShare of Oklahoma: Oklahoma's designated OPO operating organ, eye, and tissue donation programs with similar hospital referral networks and donor family aftercare programs.
• Donor Alliance: Federally designated OPO serving Colorado and Wyoming. Direct peer of LifeSource in OPO structure, donor registration, hospital partnerships, and tissue/eye recovery — and LifeSource's May 2026 partner in forming Vital Impact Health Group.
• Mid-America Transplant: OPO serving eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and northeastern Arkansas. Comparable in scope to LifeSource with hospital partnership networks, donor family services, and community education programs, making it a structurally analogous nonprofit peer.
• Donor Network West: OPO serving northern California and northern Nevada. Peer in donation coordination, tissue/eye recovery partnerships, and multicultural community education programs.
• Nevada Donor Network: Federally designated OPO serving Nevada. Comparable in organ/tissue/eye recovery services, hospital partnerships, and donor family aftercare — though operating in a smaller geographic territory.
• Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network: OPO serving Illinois and northwest Indiana. Comparable to LifeSource in operating multi-state donation programs, multicultural outreach, and hospital coordination across a multi-state territory.

Broad incumbents

• Donate Life America: National 501(c)(3) that LifeSource partners with to manage state donor registries and drive national donor registration campaigns. Operates upstream of OPOs as the brand umbrella and policy advocate for the donation ecosystem.
• United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS): National nonprofit that manages the organ matching system (DonorNet) used by all 56 OPOs including LifeSource. Functions as an industry-wide infrastructure provider and policy convener rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LifeSourceMNDAK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LifeSourceMN
• Facebookfacebook.com/lifesourcemndak
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifesourcemndak

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 LifeSource