There are no costs directly involved with whole-body donation to Mayo Clinic. However, there may be expenses associated with transportation, filing of death certificates or other required documentation, or the professional services of a funeral home.

Mayo Clinic has a limited fund to reimburse funeral homes for the transportation costs from the place of death, which covers approximately a 200-mile radius from Rochester, Minnesota. Any additional expenses exceeding the fund limit are the responsibility of the donor's estate or family.

Mayo's anatomical bequest program will consider program-registered donors from any U.S. state. However, the donor must be in the bequest program's care within 48 hours of death to be able to obtain a viable serology sample. The farther from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, a death occurs, the greater the challenges, transportation expense and likelihood that the donation will not take place. Please consult your local funeral director about costs.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is the only Mayo Clinic location with a whole-body donation program. If transporting to Mayo is too expensive, you may wish to contact a closer medical institution. The University of Florida State Anatomical Board has compiled a list of accredited institutions in the United States that accept whole-body donations.

If a donor dies outside of the state of Minnesota, the family must select a local funeral home for the initial transfer from the place of death and completion of the necessary documentation, such as the certificate of death. Due to the licensures issued by each state and to meet the requirements of state statutes, Mayo Clinic will coordinate transportation arrangements with the selected funeral home.

Attention: Mayo Clinic no longer accepts donors that have been embalmed prior to arrival at Mayo's facility.

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