Support Independent Bankruptcy Research
Every dataset, every tool, and every report on this site is free. Your contribution keeps it that way and funds the PACER costs, server infrastructure, and research time that make this work possible.
What Your Contribution Funds
This research runs on public data, but accessing and verifying that data costs money. Here is where contributions go:
Beyond PACER fees, contributions support domain registration, hosting costs, accessibility testing, Spanish translations, and the research time required to maintain and expand the screening tools and published reports.
Federal Court Records Behind the PACER Paywall
75+ million federal court records. $0.10 per page to access.
Every record uploaded to RECAP becomes free forever. Your support funds the PACER access that makes this possible.
How to Contribute
Support on Ko-fi Recurring
Monthly contributions through GitHub. Directly connected to the open-source repository. GitHub may match first-year contributions for qualifying projects.
Support on Ko-fiOne-Time Contribution
A single contribution of any amount. 100% goes to PACER costs, hosting, and research infrastructure.
One-Time ContributionOpen Collective Transparent
For institutional supporters, legal aid organizations, and foundations that want full transparency into how funds are used. Every expense is public.
Open Collective profile coming soon. All contributions currently go through Ko-fi.
Transparency
Where the money goes
All contributions are used for direct project costs:
- PACER access fees - case verification, docket downloads, attorney searches
- Hosting and domains - 1328f.com, 1328f.org, SSL certificates
- Research time - data analysis, tool development, report writing
- Accessibility - screen reader testing, WCAG compliance, Spanish translations
No funds are used for legal fees, litigation, or personal expenses. When the Open Collective profile launches, every expense will be publicly visible.
Note: 1328f.org is currently an individual research project. Contributions are not tax-deductible. If the project formalizes as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the future, tax-deductible contributions will be available through fiscal sponsorship or direct exemption.
Other Ways to Help
No money required
- Share the tools. Link to 1328f.com or this site from your own website, blog, or social media. Every backlink improves visibility.
- Use the screener. The more people who use the eligibility calculator, the more visible it becomes in search results.
- Contribute code. The tools are open-source on GitHub. Bug reports, pull requests, and documentation improvements are all welcome.
- Provide data. If you have access to PACER data for districts we have not yet screened, or if you can verify flagged cases in your jurisdiction, contact us at research@1328f.org.
- Cite the research. If you are an attorney, academic, journalist, or policymaker, cite this work in your own publications. Academic citations and institutional references strengthen the project's credibility and reach.
- Install RECAP. The RECAP browser extension from the Free Law Project automatically contributes PACER documents to the public archive as you browse, reducing costs for everyone.
Everything stays free
Contributions support the infrastructure behind this research. Every tool, every report, and every dataset on 1328f.com and 1328f.org is free and will remain free regardless of funding. Open access to public court data is the entire point.