What NMDP (Be The Match) does for transplant patients

If you have heard of Be The Match, you already know part of this organization. NMDP is the current name for the same nonprofit, following a rebrand in early 2024. It was founded in 1987 and operates the federally authorized C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, which is the government-recognized system for coordinating blood stem cell transplants in the United States.

Its mission statement is short: "We save lives through cell therapy." Its stated vision goes further, describing a world where all patients can receive their life-saving cell therapy, which points to ongoing efforts to expand access, not just maintain what already exists.

At its core, NMDP is a matching and coordination organization. Its services include:

• Blood stem cell donor matching and transplant coordination
• Umbilical cord blood banking and transplants
• Haploidentical transplantation, meaning partially matched donors, often family members
• Cryopreservation services for transplant patients
• Research, through the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR)
• The "Donor for All" initiative, aimed at expanding access through partially matched donors

That last point matters for a specific reason: not everyone has a fully matched donor available, and historically that has meant fewer options for some patients. Programs built around partial matches are meant to close that gap.

Beyond matching, NMDP offers patient-facing support. This includes one-on-one time with a patient navigator, financial assistance programs, and either group sessions or connection with other patients through a Patient Support Center.

There is also a specific program for trials: the Jason Carter Clinical Trials Search and Support program, offering personalized guidance from clinical trials navigators and an easy-to-use search tool, in both English and Spanish.

Caregivers get their own attention too. NMDP's resources cover managing finances, finding a community of other caregivers, and taking care of yourself, recognizing that a transplant journey is rarely carried by the patient alone.

If you or your care team are exploring transplant as an option, NMDP's educational material can help explain why a transplant might be right for a given situation and the different types available.

If a fully matched donor hasn't been found, ask specifically about haploidentical options and the Donor for All initiative, since those pathways exist precisely for that scenario.

If clinical trials are relevant to your case, the Jason Carter Clinical Trials Search and Support program is built to help navigate that search with a person, not just a database.

If cost or logistics are weighing on you, ask about the financial assistance and navigator programs directly, since eligibility and available funds can vary.

It does not perform your transplant. The actual procedure happens at your transplant center, with your own medical team; NMDP coordinates matching and support around that process.

It does not decide whether a transplant is right for you. That is a clinical decision made between you and your transplant physician, informed by the educational material NMDP provides.

It is not your insurance company, and its financial assistance programs, while real, are not the same as comprehensive coverage for the full cost of a transplant.

It does not replace your caregiver's own support system. Its caregiver resources are meant to supplement, not substitute, that support.

The clearest first step is talking with your transplant center about how NMDP's donor search and cord blood programs apply to your case, then reaching out to NMDP's patient support services directly for navigator or financial assistance information. Contact details and program specifics can change, so verify what you find against the current information on nmdp.org.

Organizations rebrand for many reasons, and it's reasonable to wonder whether a name change from Be The Match to NMDP signals a shift in what the organization does. Based on its own materials, the core mission and the federally authorized program it operates have stayed the same. If you registered as a donor years ago under the old name, or if a family member received a transplant coordinated through Be The Match, that history is still part of the same organization today.

Transplant centers vary in how proactively they explore options like haploidentical transplants or cord blood, particularly for patients without an easily found fully matched donor. Because NMDP coordinates across a broad network rather than a single hospital's practice, it can be worth asking your transplant team directly whether every option NMDP describes, including partially matched donors, has actually been explored for your case, rather than assuming the standard search has already covered everything.