National Endowment for the Arts
Annual backlog, FY2010–FY2025
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2009 – Sept 30, 2025). Federal fiscal year runs Oct 1 – Sept 30, named for the year it ends.
Dashed verticals mark presidential inaugurations.
Recent quarterly activity
Last 21 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026).
10 oldest pending requests, end of FY2025 (Sept 30, 2025)
Agencies report days pending in working days, counted from the day the request was received; the years column converts to calendar years. The longer this list runs, the more litigation-ripe the agency’s backlog.
| Rank | Date received | Working days pending | Years pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2025-08-17 | 30 | 0.1 |
| #2 | 2025-09-15 | 11 | 0.0 |
| #3 | 2025-09-15 | 11 | 0.0 |
| #4 | 2025-09-19 | 7 | 0.0 |
| #5 | — | 0 | 0.0 |
| #6 | — | 0 | 0.0 |
| #7 | — | 0 | 0.0 |
| #8 | — | 0 | 0.0 |
| #9 | — | 0 | 0.0 |
| #10 | — | 0 | 0.0 |
Exemption invocations, FY2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)
How often each FOIA exemption (b1–b9) was invoked when redacting or denying records. Exemption 5 (deliberative process, attorney-client) is highlighted — it’s the most-fought exemption in FOIA litigation.
FOIA staffing, FY2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 182 | 214 | 6 |
| FY2024 | 180 | 155 | 37 |
| FY2023 | 62 | 50 | 12 |
| FY2022 | 40 | 41 | 0 |
| FY2021 | 41 | 41 | 1 |
| FY2020 | 39 | 39 | 1 |
| FY2019 | 58 | 57 | 1 |
| FY2018 | 71 | 76 | 0 |
| FY2017 | 91 | 81 | 10 |
| FY2016 | 57 | 58 | 0 |
| FY2015 | 55 | 58 | 1 |
| FY2014 | 71 | 73 | 4 |
| FY2013 | 72 | 82 | 4 |
| FY2012 | 130 | 126 | 14 |
| FY2011 | 139 | 140 | 10 |
| FY2010 | 146 | 153 | 7 |
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