On May 4, 2020, Mayo Clinic was awarded a $26 million contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The financial support was for the Expanded Access Program (EAP) for convalescent plasma to fight COVID-19.

The federal support helped cover the cost of collecting and distributing the convalescent plasma, increase patient access, and support the scientific and regulatory infrastructure to operate the program. Mayo Clinic served as the central Institutional Review Board (IRB) to oversee the EAP.