The Milk Bank

What The Milk Bank does

The Milk Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit human milk bank headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, founded in 2005 to promote community health by expanding the safe use of human milk for premature, ill, and medically fragile infants. Its core operation is the collection, pasteurization, and distribution of Pasteurized Donor Human Milk (PDHM): approved donors complete a two-part online application, phone screening, and blood test; donated milk is pooled from up to four donors, nutritionally analyzed, portioned into specialty bottles, pasteurized, and microbiologically tested with barcode tracking. In 2025 the organization dispensed 794,387 ounces of PDHM to approximately 2,300,000 estimated feedings and served 1,823 approved donors across 18 states.

The business operates a dual-channel revenue model: B2B processing fees from hospitals supplying PDHM to NICU and other inpatient units, and direct-to-consumer outpatient sales through 30+ Milk Express pickup sites and direct shipping, with a Medical Relief Fund providing free or reduced-cost milk for financially qualifying families in Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri. Complementary mission-driven services include a Bereavement Program (525 lives honored in 2025), Workplace Lactation Support for employers, and resources for healthcare professionals. The organization is HIPAA compliant, accepts financial gifts via donor-advised funds, IRA QCDs, and securities, and is restricted from direct outpatient shipping into CA, MD, NY, and PA due to tissue licensing regulations.

The Milk Bank runs a lean operation of 1–10 employees from a single processing facility, relying on a community-led model for both supply (donor recruitment through Milk Depots) and demand (hospital contracts and outpatient families). Marketing is grassroots: website content, bi-monthly newsletter, community events, and a Share Your Story social program. The organization does not disclose revenue, has no known institutional investors or PE backing, and is funded through a mix of processing fees, outpatient sales, and charitable contributions.

Name

The Milk Bank

Legal name

The Milk Bank

Website

https://themilkbank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Milk Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit human milk bank that screens, pasteurizes, and distributes donor breast milk to premature and ill infants in NICUs and to outpatient families across 18 states from its Indianapolis processing facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Milk Banking

NAICS

Fluid Milk Manufacturing (311511), Blood and Organ Banks (621991)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Fluid Milk & Cream Processing (AFAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer Packaged Fluid Milk (White Milk) Processing (AFAHAAAA)

Keywords

• Pasteurized donor milk
• Human milk banking
• NICU nutrition services
• Breast milk donation
• Infant health nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hospital Processing Fees: Hospitals pay a processing fee for pasteurized donor human milk for NICU and other hospitalized infants.
2. Outpatient Milk Sales with Medical Relief Fund: Outpatient families purchase donor milk with sliding-scale pricing through the Medical Relief Fund for those facing financial hardship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Milk Bank is a nonprofit human milk bank that screens and collects breast milk from approved donors, pasteurizes and microbiologically tests the milk (pooling from up to four donors, with nutritional analysis and barcode-tracked specialty bottles), and distributes Pasteurized Donor Human Milk (PDHM) to hospital NICUs and outpatient families across 18 U.S. states. Complementary offerings include a Bereavement Program, Medical Relief Fund, Workplace Lactation Support, and educational resources for healthcare professionals.

Product overview

The Milk Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a human milk bank network. The core product is Pasteurized Donor Human Milk (PDHM) distribution, which serves premature and ill infants. The organization operates a milk donation program that recruits, screens, and collects milk from approved donors through milk depots. Processed milk is distributed to hospitals and outpatient families via milk express sites. The product portfolio includes complementary support services: a Bereavement Program for grieving parents, a Medical Relief Fund providing free/reduced-cost milk for financially struggling families with medical needs, and Workplace Lactation Support for employers. Resources for Healthcare Professionals support clinical adoption. Financial donations enable sustainability of these services. The Milk Bank operates across 18 states serving both inpatient (hospital NICU) and outpatient populations, with a direct-to-family shipping option available in most states (excluding CA, MD, NY, and PA due to tissue licensing regulations).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pasteurized Donor Human Milk (PDHM) Distribution Core service of collecting breast milk from approved donors, pasteurizing it through a multi-stage safety protocol (donor screening, blood testing, nutritional analysis, pooling from up to four donors, Holder pasteurization, microbiological testing), and distributing it to hospitals (NICU and other units) and outpatient families.
• Milk Donation Program Program enabling approved mothers to donate surplus breast milk through a structured screening process (2-part online application, phone screening, blood test at The Milk Bank's cost) and ongoing donation via Milk Depots or direct shipping. Over 1,000 donors participate annually.
• Milk Depots Community-based collection sites where approved milk donors can drop off their breast milk donations. Depots maintain temperature logs and ship donations to The Milk Bank for processing.
• Milk Express Community-based pickup locations (~30 sites) where outpatient families can pick up their orders of safe donor milk (up to 40 ounces per transaction) without shipping delays.
• Outpatient Program Program providing PDHM to families at home when mother's own milk is unavailable. Offers three fulfillment options: local pickup at Milk Express sites (up to 40 ounces per transaction), direct shipping, or Medical Relief Fund eligibility.
• Medical Relief Fund Program providing free or reduced rates for Pasteurized Donor Human Milk for infants with medical need whose families face financial hardship. Limited to families in Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri.
• Bereavement Program Support program for bereaved parents offering infant loss support groups and counseling services; 525 lives were honored through this program in 2025.
• Workplace Lactation Support Services for employers to support breastfeeding employees in the workplace, part of The Milk Bank's broader mission to promote community health.
• Financial Donations Financial giving program accepting donations through online gifts, donor-advised funds, IRA qualified charitable distributions, and publicly traded securities. Tax ID 20-1662573.

Quantifiable outcome

• 794,387 ounces of milk dispensed to infants in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mothers' Milk Bank California: HMBANA-accredited nonprofit human milk bank processing and distributing pasteurized donor human milk to NICUs and outpatient families. Operates the same donor screening, pooling, and pasteurization model as The Milk Bank, with overlapping geography in the western U.S.
• Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin (MMBA): HMBANA-accredited nonprofit milk bank serving Texas and surrounding states with pasteurized donor human milk. Closely comparable operating model, hospital contracting motion, and outpatient distribution via pickup sites.
• Northwest Mothers Milk Bank: Nonprofit HMBANA milk bank based in Portland, Oregon, distributing PDHM to hospitals and families in the Pacific Northwest. Same donor-recipient model, safety protocols, and community-led GTM.
• Mid-Atlantic Mothers' Milk Bank: HMBANA-accredited nonprofit milk bank serving Pennsylvania and surrounding Mid-Atlantic states with PDHM for NICU and outpatient use. Direct comparable in processing standards and hospital channel.
• Mothers' Milk Bank of Florida: HMBANA-accredited Florida-based nonprofit milk bank supplying PDHM to NICUs and outpatient families. Comparable donor recruitment, screening, and distribution operations.
• Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa: Nonprofit HMBANA milk bank serving Iowa and the upper Midwest — directly overlapping The Milk Bank's Midwest core footprint. Same donor-to-NICU value chain and outpatient pickup model.
• Prolacta Bioscience: For-profit human milk processor producing PDHM and human milk-based nutritional products (including human milk fortifiers) for NICUs. Competes with The Milk Bank on hospital contracts but at a different capital intensity and product breadth.

Emerging players

• Medolac Laboratories: For-profit human milk biotics company focused on shelf-stable donor human milk products. Adjacent competitor to nonprofit milk banks, with partial overlap in NICU and outpatient channels but a differentiated processing technology focus.

Regional players

• Mountain West Mothers' Milk Bank: HMBANA-accredited nonprofit milk bank serving Utah and the Mountain West region. Operates the same donor screening and PDHM distribution model with a regional rather than multi-state footprint.

Others

• Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA): Industry association that accredits nonprofit milk banks including The Milk Bank and sets safety and processing standards. Not a direct competitor but the governing body whose standards The Milk Bank operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheMilkBank
• Facebookfacebook.com/themilkbank

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Milk Bank