Cord Blood Council Earns 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Status and Opens Public Donations to Strengthen the Nation’s Public Cord Blood Banks

Newly tax-exempt organization invites community support and previews National Cord Blood Awareness Month programming this July

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Cord Blood Council (CBC), a capacity-building nonprofit supporting the nation’s public cord blood banks, today announced that it has received federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and is now accepting tax-deductible donations from the public. Gifts can be made at cbcouncil.org/donate.

The milestone broadens the community support behind the organization’s mission: strengthening and unifying the public cord blood banks that supply the life-saving stem cells used in transplant medicine and a growing range of cord blood–derived cell and gene therapies. Donations will help fund the collaboration, advocacy, and education at the heart of the Council’s work — expanding access to high-quality cord blood for the patients who depend on it.

“Receiving our 501(c)(3) status is a meaningful milestone, but its real significance is what it makes possible: it allows everyone who believes in the promise of cord blood to take part in this work,” said Christina Melief, Ph.D., philanthropist, cord blood champion, and the organization’s Co-Founder, President, and CEO. “Every gift helps our public cord blood banks thrive and brings life-saving therapy within reach of more patients.”

As a tax-exempt organization, the CBC develops and provides shared resources to National Cord Blood Inventory (NCBI)–funded, FDA-licensed public cord blood banks and the clinicians, researchers, and patients who rely on them. Public support will advance work across the council’s core areas, including:

• Education and training for the cord blood and transplant community
• Public awareness and advocacy for cord blood donation and access
• Shared data, research, and forecasting that strengthen public banks
• Operational and workflow improvements that reduce duplication across the field

The CBC will mark National Cord Blood Awareness Month this July with a month-long series of educational content. Each week will spotlight a different theme — from the basics of cord blood and its current FDA-approved uses, to exciting new indications on the horizon, the real-world impact of cord blood on patients’ lives, and what the field needs to secure its future. Supporters are encouraged to follow along and help spread the word throughout the month.

To make a tax-deductible gift or learn more, visit cbcouncil.org/donate.

About the Cord Blood Council

The Cord Blood Council (CBC) is a 501(c)(3) capacity-building nonprofit that strengthens and unifies the nation’s public cord blood banks through collaboration, advocacy, and education. By coordinating expertise, infrastructure, and data, the CBC works to improve operational excellence, expand access to high-quality cord blood units, and accelerate the use of cord blood in established transplant medicine and emerging cord blood–derived cell and gene therapies. Learn more at cbcouncil.org.