Support Independent Bankruptcy Research
This project was built by one independent researcher over 1,500+ hours using publicly available federal court records. No grants, no institutional backing, no law degree. On March 23, 2026, the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules accepted Suggestion 26-BK-3 based on this data -- a proposed amendment to Rule 4004 requiring courts to verify discharge eligibility before granting. The methodology, the tools, and every report on this site are free and open-source. Your contribution funds the PACER access needed to finish the research the federal judiciary is now reviewing.
Stay updated on new datasets and research findings
No spam. No marketing. Just data.
Q1 2026 PACER Research Costs
$0 raised of $5,000 goal
0 supporters so far
This research represents 1,500+ hours of analysis, funded entirely by one person. No grants, no institutional backing, no law degree. The Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules accepted Suggestion 26-BK-3 based on this data. Finishing the national verification requires PACER access at $0.10 per page across 94 federal districts.
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
Sponsor on GitHub Recurring
Monthly contributions through GitHub. Directly connected to the open-source repository. GitHub may match first-year contributions for qualifying projects.
♥ SponsorOne-Time Contribution
A single contribution of any amount. Funds PACER costs, hosting, research infrastructure, and founder support.
♥ SponsorOpen Collective Transparent
For institutional supporters, legal aid organizations, and foundations that want full transparency into how funds are used. Every expense is public.
All contributions currently go through GitHub Sponsors. Institutional supporters may contact us directly.
Transparency
Where the money goes
Every dollar funds two things: keeping the person who built this free to keep building it, and expanding the platform to protect more people.
- Founder support - full-time research, development, and platform maintenance
- PACER access fees - case verification, docket downloads, attorney searches
- Hosting and domains - 1328f.com, 1328f.org, SSL certificates
- Research infrastructure - data analysis, tool development, report writing
- Accessibility - screen reader testing, WCAG compliance, Spanish translations
No funds are used for legal fees or litigation. When the Open Collective profile launches, every expense will be publicly visible.
1328f.org is working toward 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Your donations directly fund PACER access fees, hosting costs, and the $275 IRS filing fee to formalize as a tax-exempt organization dedicated to bankruptcy court transparency. Once approved, contributions will be tax-deductible.
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.
- 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.