What The Milestone Foundation does

The Milestone Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 by John and Amy Bair in Buffalo, New York, operating as the first and only nonprofit consumer litigation funding provider in the United States. The foundation offers pre-settlement cash advances at 15% simple annual interest and post-settlement cash advances at 10% simple annual interest, with interest that never compounds and a strict 2X cap on total repayment. Funding is non-recourse — plaintiffs owe nothing if their case is lost — and is exclusively available to individuals represented by licensed attorneys in personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, sex abuse, and mass tort cases.

The organization runs a regenerative capital model in which repaid advances are recycled into subsequent funding, supplemented by tax-deductible charitable contributions, corporate sponsorships, and court-ordered cy pres awards from class action settlements. Distribution is attorney-mediated: plaintiffs cannot apply directly, and the foundation coordinates funding requests through its Partners for Justice membership program, which spans 320+ law firm partners across 34 states and offers tiered membership (Supporter at $99+/month for private firms, free for legal aid attorneys, plus Champion and Leader tiers). Since inception, the foundation has advanced over $7 million to more than 1,000 plaintiffs and is trusted by 1,200+ attorneys nationwide.

The foundation operates with a small core team led by Executive Director & President Rachel McCarthy, supplemented by a six-member Advisory Council established in June 2026. Revenue is generated through three streams: simple interest on outstanding advances, recurring membership fees from Partners for Justice, and donations/cy pres awards. The organization holds a Candid/GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, maintains an active content marketing and social media presence, and hosts annual events including the Compassionate Counsel Awards, currently positioning for its second decade of operations following a 75% year-over-year growth year in 2025.

Name

The Milestone Foundation

Legal name

The Milestone Foundation

Website

https://themilestonefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Milestone Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 that provides pre- and post-settlement litigation funding to plaintiffs represented by licensed attorneys, charging simple (never-compounding) interest rates capped at 2X repayment across 34 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Consumer Litigation Funding

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Nonprofit litigation funding
• Pre-settlement funding
• Post-settlement advances
• Consumer legal funding
• Attorney membership program

Headquarters

HQ city

Buffalo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Interest Income on Funded Advances: Revenue generated from simple interest charges on pre- and post-settlement funding advances. Pre-settlement: 15% simple annual interest. Post-settlement: 10% simple annual interest. Interest never compounds. Non-recourse: plaintiffs owe nothing if cases are lost.
2. Donations and Contributions: Individual giving program, corporate sponsorships, and tax-deductible charitable contributions. The Milestone Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 81-1207829). Donations support operational costs and expand funding capacity.
3. Cy Pres Awards: Court-ordered residual funds from class action settlements directed to the foundation. Attorneys designate The Milestone Foundation as cy pres recipients when unclaimed settlement funds remain.
4. Law Firm Membership Program: Partners for Justice membership program with tiered pricing: Free for nonprofit/public interest/legal aid attorneys; minimum $99/month for private practice firms (Supporter tier). Champion and Leader tiers offer custom support levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Milestone Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides non-recourse cash advances to plaintiffs awaiting resolution of personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, and sex abuse lawsuits. Pre-settlement advances are priced at 15% simple annual interest and post-settlement advances at 10% simple annual interest, with interest that never compounds and a 2X cap on total repayment. Funding requests must be coordinated through a plaintiff's licensed attorney, and the foundation complements its core service with a tiered Partners for Justice membership program for plaintiff law firms.

Product overview

The Milestone Foundation offers a unified nonprofit consumer litigation funding service with two core products: pre-settlement funding at 15% simple annual interest and post-settlement funding at 10% simple annual interest. Both products feature never-compounding interest and non-recourse terms (plaintiffs owe nothing if they lose their case). The organization complements its funding services with the Partners for Justice membership program for law firms, a Compassionate Counsel Awards recognition program, and a Cy Pres Awards program that directs residual class action funds back into the mission. All products are designed to provide ethical, transparent alternatives to for-profit litigation funders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Settlement Funding Non-recourse cash advances provided to plaintiffs to cover essential living expenses (housing, food, utilities, transportation) while they await settlement of a pending lawsuit. Funded through retained attorneys at 15% simple annual interest that never compounds, with a strict 2X cap on total repayment and no credit check, application, or hidden fees.
• Post-Settlement Funding Cash advances for plaintiffs who have already signed a settlement agreement but need funds urgently while waiting for disbursement. Charged at 10% simple annual interest that never compounds, with non-recourse terms and a 2X cap, providing plaintiffs a low-cost bridge between settlement and payout.
• Partners for Justice Membership Program Tiered national membership program connecting plaintiff trial lawyers with ethical, nonprofit litigation funding for their clients. Includes three tiers (Supporter at a minimum of $99/month for private firms and free for nonprofit/public interest/legal aid attorneys, Champion with custom active support, and Leader with priority case review and policy updates), plus member directory listings and shared resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• $7M+ advanced to plaintiffs nationwide
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Advisory Council MemberscoreOthers · 1 June 2026Distinguished group of plaintiff attorneys, litigation finance professionals, and clinical psychologist providing strategic guidance. Members include: Michael Maizel (Otterbourg P.C.), Jean Martin (Aylstock, Witkin, Kries & Overholtz), Marcy Spitz (Family Law Attorney), Adam Rosen (Rocade Capital), Erika Vasquez (Panish | Shea | Ravipudi), and Dana Kaspereen (Counseling of Life, LLC). Council helps shape the future of fair consumer litigation funding and supports the foundation's next decade of growth.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• High Rise Financial: Consumer pre-settlement funding company serving personal injury plaintiffs through attorney referrals. Direct competitor in the same niche, distributing advances via plaintiff law firms similar to Milestone's Partners for Justice channel.
• Trial Logic (formerly USClaims): Pre-settlement litigation funding company serving plaintiff attorneys. Direct peer offering comparable non-recourse advances to plaintiffs awaiting settlement, distributed through attorney relationships similar to Milestone's Partners for Justice program.
• LawCash: Pre-settlement consumer litigation funder for personal injury, workers' comp, and wrongful death cases. Closely comparable in target customer (plaintiff attorneys and their clients) and product (non-recourse pre-settlement advances), though operates as a for-profit.
• Calumet Capital: Plaintiff-side consumer litigation funding company providing pre-settlement cash advances to injury victims. Operates in the same attorney-referred, non-recourse consumer litigation funding space as Milestone.
• Legalist: Plaintiff-side litigation funder specializing in pre-settlement advances to plaintiffs in commercial and personal injury cases. Directly competes with Milestone in the same consumer litigation funding category, though operates on a for-profit, data-driven underwriting model.

Others

• National Consumer Law Center: National nonprofit focused on consumer justice for low-income Americans, including litigation, policy advocacy, and publications on predatory lending and litigation funding. Comparable as an access-to-justice nonprofit, though focused on advocacy and education rather than direct funding.
• Civil Justice Inc. National nonprofit organization advocating for civil justice reform and supporting plaintiff attorneys through education, amicus briefs, and trial resources. Adjacent peer sharing Milestone's access-to-justice mission and plaintiff-attorney audience, though not a direct funding competitor.

Emerging players

• Patient Advocate Foundation: National 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing financial aid, case management, and advocacy support to patients with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit offering direct financial assistance to individuals navigating complex civil/legal-medical systems, though focused on healthcare rather than litigation.

Broad incumbents

• Burford Capital: World's largest publicly listed litigation finance firm providing commercial and plaintiff-side funding globally. Most relevant comparable as a litigation funder serving plaintiff attorneys, though it operates at institutional scale and for-profit return mandates unlike Milestone's nonprofit model.
• Omni Bridgeway: Global litigation funder with significant U.S. plaintiff-side presence following its merger with IMF Bentham. Directly comparable as a provider of non-recourse funding to plaintiff attorneys across personal injury and mass tort cases, though for-profit and far larger.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheMilestoneFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheMilestoneFdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-milestone-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/themilestonefoundation
• Xx.com/TheMilestoneFdn

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Milestone Foundation