Membership means ownership.

You control it through dynamic consent. That's a governed relationship between you, your data, and any researcher who wants to use it. You see every proposal. You opt in or out. You can 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 is elected by members like you. You can review proposals directly and decide whether your data participates in each study.

Yes, at any time. If you leave, your data is returned to you or deleted, per your instructions. No lock-in, no penalty, no fine print.

Ownership. The one-time buy-in makes you a legal co-owner of the cooperative under Colorado law. It gives you a vote in every major decision and a stake in the cooperative's future. It's not a subscription. It's an investment in your own voice.

A fellow member or the cooperative's foundation sponsors you. No application, no means test, no waiting. 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. HIPAA-grade encryption for all data at rest and in transit. Access controls and audit trails. Independent oversight.

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.