Sparks Brain Preservation
A Non-profit Organization
Thank you so much for considering brain preservation services with our organization. We believe that signing up for brain preservation is a courageous and altruistic decision. Most importantly, it gives the person being preserved a potential chance at revival in the future. It also helps advance neuroscience, reduces social stigma, and encourages broader thinking about the long-term survival and flourishing of humanity.
Paperwork can be completed via web form or by downloading the PDF and returning it by email or mail. Please Contact Us with any questions.
Use these forms to sign yourself up for preservation. There is no initial or annual cost to be signed up.
Use these forms if you are working with us to preserve a loved one.
$45,000
Long-term members receive a 20% discount, for a final price of $36,000. This is for chemical fixation, our standard and best procedure for preserving the structure of the brain. Most of the cost goes toward Rapid Response at all locations within the Continental United States. It currently involves flying our technicians out to perform the procedure at a cooperative funeral home in a remote location. As we go live with our new facilities around the country, it will be more common for us to drive to the patient using one of our ambulances. In some cases, we might involve a local pathologist to save time when a patient dies emergently. In all cases, the decisions are made based on speed and quality, not cost.
This price also include all transportation and cremation of the remaining body.
We offer storage in liquid nitrogen in certain situations. Sometimes our standard aldehyde preservation cannot be performed. This typically occurs when a body has been previously straight frozen by a third party for some reason. The only option in this case is to leave the tissue frozen and preserve the entire head.
$14,000 for liquid nitrogen storage of the entire head ($11,200 with the discount)
We can also store in liquid nitrogen if the patient or next of kin specifically requests it. This is very different from a cryopreservation at Alcor or the Cryonics Institute. Liquid nitrogen storage here must be preceded by a thorough fixation and cryoprotective ramp that takes many months. Only after the quality is high enough that there is zero chance of ice formation would we proceed with cryopreservation. Even though it is more expensive due to required maintenance costs, this is not considered a higher quality preservation. It is in fact probably slightly lower in quality due to inevitable cracking. This option is frequently attractive to previous cryonics members. Both this liquid nitrogen storage and our standard brain preservation are superior in quality to traditional cryonics.
$8,000 for liquid nitrogen storage of the brain only ($6,400 with the discount)
Note: These prices are in addition to our Standard Preservation fees.
How can payment be made?
We accept payment via life insurance, will, trust, or pre-payment via check. Payment can be made before or after services are performed, except for storage in liquid nitrogen, which requires advance payment.
Life insurance is often the simplest option. You name Sparks Brain Preservation as the beneficiary and proceeds are paid directly. Some members have worked with Rudi Hoffman, CFP, who specializes in life insurance for this purpose (rudihoffman.com). You can also include a bequest to Sparks Brain Preservation in your will or name us as a beneficiary in a revocable trust. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact us.
Is paid membership required to enroll for services?
No, a paid membership is not required to sign up. You can sign up for brain preservation with no upfront costs. From our perspective, signing up for preservation is clearly better than nothing and it is recommended if you do not have any funds available to pay for membership right now.
However, if you do have the available money right now, and are considering any of our paid service options, we believe that becoming a paying member will benefit both you and our organization. It will benefit you because paying members receive 20% off all services after 2 years and because membership fees accumulate as service credits. See Membership for more.
Another possible option is to sign the paperwork for preservation now and then consider becoming a paying member in the future if you later do have enough money for this.
Can I use life insurance to pay for preservation?
Yes. This is a common way to cover preservation costs. You can take out a life insurance policy and name Sparks Brain Preservation as the beneficiary. As long as the policy has sufficient coverage, the payout can be used to fund your preservation.
You are free to use any life insurance provider of your choice. Some of our members have worked with Rudi Hoffman, CFP, who has specialized in life insurance for cryonics for many years. His website is rudihoffman.com, and you are welcome to reach out to him directly. We do not receive any compensation for referrals.
We recommend overfunding your policy in case there are unexpected transport costs if legal death occurs outside the US and to provide a buffer against inflation. By default, any excess funds will be placed into our general operating fund, to help us maintain our operations for the long run. You may also stipulate that any surplus funds be directed elsewhere, such as to our research or to your family or other beneficiaries.
If you would like help setting up a life insurance policy or have any questions about how this works, please Contact Us.
What happens during the preservation procedure?
In ideal cases, we perfuse aldehyde-based solutions through the brain’s blood vessels to stabilize all proteins and prevent decay. We then carefully remove the patient’s brain and part of the cervical spinal cord, using the techniques we have developed over hundreds of cases to minimize damage. The patient’s brain is then stored indefinitely in preservative fluid at refrigerator temperature in our patient vault. See Our Preservation Approach.
How quickly do you need to reach me after legal death?
The sooner the better. Ideally, we begin the procedure within minutes. Our current research suggests we can achieve potentially sufficient structural preservation up to 24-48 hours after legal death, especially if the body is kept cool. Beyond 48 hours, the likelihood of successful preservation is expected to be lower. However, even this timeline is not well established, and there is a significant amount of variability between cases for unknown reasons. The exact time window for successful perfusion and for brain cell structure to break down is poorly understood. In our opinion, people (or AI models) who make confident claims about this topic usually do not know what they are talking about. The science simply is not yet well established.
Do fees need to be paid prior to service?
In many cases, no. The exception is the case of liquid nitrogen preservation services. Payment does need to be made prior to storage in liquid nitrogen.
What if I cannot afford the full preservation fee?
We have a Financial Aid Program available. If you are interested in this, please contact us to discuss your situation. Our goal is for preservation to be accessible to as many people as possible.
Do you preserve pets?
Yes. See our Pet Preservation page for details.
What if I have a unique circumstance that does not fit the standard protocol?
Every preservation case is different, and exceptions are common. Our goal is to make high-quality brain preservation accessible to as many people as possible. If the standard protocol does not fit your situation, we will work with you to find creative solutions, within the limits of the services we can provide. Please Contact Us to discuss your particular situation.