Membership means ownership.

You'll control it through dynamic consent, a governed relationship between you, your data, and any researcher who wants to use it. You'll see every proposal, opt in or out, and be able to withdraw at any time. Your data is encrypted, stored securely, and never shared without your explicit, informed permission.

Only researchers whose proposals pass the Data Ethics Review Board, which members like you will elect. You'll be able to review proposals directly and decide whether your data participates in each study. The board is part of what the founding members are building.

Yes, at any time. If you leave, your data is deleted on your instruction, and being able to take a copy with you is part of what we're building. No lock-in, no penalty, no fine print.

Ownership. The one-time buy-in will make you a legal co-owner of the cooperative, with a vote in every major decision and a stake in its future. One payment, permanent ownership. The cooperative is still in formation, so this takes effect as founding members are admitted.

A fellow member or the cooperative's foundation will sponsor you. No means test, and no separate application on top of joining. Sponsored members get the same ownership, the same vote, the same community.

An organization owned and governed by its members. One member, one vote, regardless of how much you've contributed or when you joined. Cooperatives exist everywhere: credit unions, grocery stores, artist collectives. Banyan Grove applies the model to health data. Patients own and govern the data they generate.

MMRF has helped bring 15 drugs to market. HealthTree connects patients to 7,300+ health systems. They've done extraordinary work, and we're building on that foundation.

The difference is governance. In those organizations, patients contribute data but don't own or govern how it's used. In Banyan Grove, members vote on who accesses the data, what research it supports, and how the value it creates flows back to the community. Democratic data relations, patients governing the relationships their data creates, is what we add to the field.

Security is foundational. Encryption for all data at rest and in transit. Access controls and audit trails. Independent oversight arrives with the review board.

In Year 2, the data trust adds another layer: an independent legal entity whose fiduciary duty is protecting your data and your rights. Think of it as a referee, making sure everyone (including the cooperative's own leadership) follows the rules you set.

Banyan Grove starts with the myeloma community because that's where the founder's experience and the cooperative's deepest knowledge live. Caregivers, family members, and supporters are welcome as the community grows. The cooperative's long-term path includes expansion to other blood cancers and eventually federation with other disease communities.