MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NMDP℠ (formerly Be The Match®), a global nonprofit leader in cell therapy, announced that is has exceeded its $100 million comprehensive campaign goal, raising more than $102 million through the generosity of thousands of supporters and partners. This milestone reflects the power of philanthropy to remove financial barriers for patients, accelerate groundbreaking research, and expand access so that more patients can receive their life-saving cell therapy. Through this effort, NMDP has impacted more than 50,469 lives over the last six years.
Financial barriers remain the number one challenge reported by patients seeking transplants. Each day, NMDP receives an average of 15 grant requests from patients needing help with transplant-related expenses like housing, transportation, and prescription medications. Since 2019, NMDP has delivered more than $39.1 million in patient financial assistance. In 2024 alone, the organization provided $6.6 million in aid to more than 3,000 patients.
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In addition to easing the financial burden on patients, campaign support has fueled innovation across NMDP’s mission. More than $20 million has been invested in research, including advancing clinical trials through NMDP’s Donor for All initiative, which seeks to expand the availability of donors for every patient in need of a transplant. Another $11.1 million has gone into NMDP’s donor and registry support, ensuring the organization remains a world-class partner for patients, donors, and the global transplant community. Together, these efforts represent a comprehensive approach: meeting patients’ urgent financial needs today while also building the scientific and systemic foundation of the future. In addition to these priority areas, the balance of funds raised supported the mission broadly, ensuring flexibility to meet emerging needs.
“When we launched this comprehensive campaign, our goal was to impact 10,000 lives every year by 2028. This milestone reminds us that we are well on our way as this year we have surpassed 8,000 lives saved for the first time in our organization’s history,” said Amy Ronneberg, CEO of NMDP. “Together with our donors and partners, we’re easing financial burdens for families, fueling groundbreaking research, and strengthening the donor registry, but our work isn’t done. At NMDP, we are committed to building on this momentum to help even more patients, donors, and families.”
The real-life impact of this milestone was front and center on Friday, September 26, at the annual NMDP Gala in Minneapolis, sponsored by Hollstadt Consulting. The Gala brought together more than 400 patients, families, donors, physicians, and supporters to celebrate the generosity that makes milestones like this possible. Attendees raised $1.2 million at the Gala and witnessed unforgettable moments, such as the first-time meeting between Betsy Gabler and her donor, Erica Buck. Gabler, a Minnesota resident, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and found a donor on the NMDP Registry. She underwent a blood stem cell transplant in 2022. Now 63 years old, Gabler had the opportunity to meet Buck, a mom from Montana, whose blood stem cells saved her life.
“Stories like that of Betsy and Erica highlight why this work is so important,” said Erica Jensen, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Advancement, NMDP. “This $100 million milestone belongs to every donor, partner, and community member who joined us in this campaign. It is a reminder that NMDP is driving progress that helps patients live longer, healthier lives. This is not the finish line — it’s the foundation for innovative fundraising strategies that ensure the impact we’ve created won’t stop with this campaign but will continue to grow for years to come.”
The campaign kicked off in 2019 following a feasibility study and was designed to deepen a culture of philanthropy at NMDP and directly support the organization’s goal of impacting 10,000 lives annually. The comprehensive campaign unites multiple streams of giving, including annual contributions, planned gifts, and program support, into one coordinated effort that advances NMDP’s mission of saving lives through cell therapy. To learn more, visit giving.nmdp.org.
About NMDP
At NMDP, we believe each of us holds the key to curing blood cancers and disorders. As a global nonprofit leader in cell therapy, NMDP creates essential connections between researchers and supporters to inspire action and accelerate innovation to find life-saving cures. With the help of blood stem cell donors from the world’s most diverse registry and our extensive network of transplant partners, physicians and caregivers, we’re expanding access to treatment so that every patient can receive their life-saving cell therapy. NMDP. Find cures. Save lives.
Media Contact: Erica Sevilla Public Relations Manager, NMDP esevilla@nmdp.org
