The Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act, also known as the FOIA, was enacted in 1966 and is the primary means by which the public has access to Federal agency records. All Federal agencies, including NEH, are required to make requested records available unless the records are protected from disclosure by one or more of the nine exemptions and three exclusions of the FOIA. The FOIA only applies to Federal agencies and does not provide access to records held by Congress, the Federal courts, state and local government agencies, or private businesses or individuals.

Many NEH documents are already available through this Web site, so please be sure to check the FOIA Library before submitting a request. If you have reviewed the information on this Web site and are unable to find what you are looking for, you can submit a FOIA request in writing or online. For instructions on how to obtain a record from NEH, go to How to Submit a FOIA Request.

Additional information about NEH’s FOIA program and other FOIA resources can be found by accessing the links below:

FOIA MEMORANDA

Freedom of Information Act (PDF) - Memorandum from President Obama, January 21, 2009

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (PDF) - Memorandum from the Attorney General, March 19, 2009

Transparency and Open Government (PDF) - Memorandum from President Obama, January 21, 2009

View FOIA Quarterly Reports

ANNUAL FOIA REPORTS

FILENAME SIZE 2023 FOIA Report (XML) (CSV) (PDF) 29 KB, 5 KB, 287 KB 2022 FOIA Report (XML) (CSV) (PDF) 29 KB , 6 KB, 311 KB 2021 FOIA Report (XML ) (CSV) (PDF) 28 KB , 7 KB, 240 KB 2020 FOIA Report (XML ) (PDF) 27.7 KB, 252 KB 2019 FOIA Report (XML) (CSV) (PDF) 26.7 KB, 5.0 KB, 186 KB 2018 FOIA Report (XML) (CSV) (PDF) 26.1 KB, 4.72 KB, 163 KB

2017 FOIA Report (XML) (XLS) (PDF)

27.38 KB, 13.39 KB, 244.97 KB

2016 FOIA Report (XML) (XLS) (PDF)

26.16 KB, 13.14 KB, 196.36 KB

2015 FOIA Report (XML) (PDF)

26.15 KB, 209.76 KB

2014 FOIA Report (XML) (PDF)

25.03 KB, 184.13 KB

2013 FOIA Report (XML) (PDF)

24.91 KB, 304.19 KB

2012 FOIA Report (XML) (PDF)

26.81 KB, 77.54 KB