Our Commitment
The Open Bankruptcy Project is committed to full transparency in our operations, funding, and governance. This report covers our organizational structure, funding sources, expenses, and independence commitments.
Organizational Structure
We are organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (determination pending, filed March 2026). Three directors oversee operations. We have no paid staff -- all work is volunteer. Our operating costs are minimal: domain names, hosting (GitHub Pages, free), and PACER access fees.
Funding Sources
Currently funded entirely by the founder's personal investment and small donations via Ko-fi. We accept no advertising, no sponsored content, no data licensing fees, and no money from law firms, creditors, or industry groups.
We are pursuing Google Ad Grants ($10,000/month in free search advertising available to 501(c)(3) organizations) to expand our reach without compromising independence.
Expenses
Domain registrations: ~$500. PACER access: ~$200. Development tools: $0 (all open-source). Hosting: $0 (GitHub Pages). Total annual budget: under $1,000.
All financial records are available upon request.
Independence
We are not affiliated with any law firm, creditor, debt relief company, or government agency. Our research is independent and our findings go where the data leads -- even when that is uncomfortable.
Our rule: We never accept money from anyone who could benefit from our research saying one thing rather than another.
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Last updated: April 2026. Not legal advice.
Part of the Bankruptcy Transparency Network