National Endowment for the Humanities
Annual backlog, FY2008–FY2025
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2007 – 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 | 2024-01-26 | 418 | 1.7 |
| #2 | 2024-03-25 | 378 | 1.5 |
| #3 | 2024-05-20 | 338 | 1.4 |
| #4 | 2024-09-24 | 251 | 1.0 |
| #5 | 2024-09-26 | 249 | 1.0 |
| #6 | 2024-10-24 | 243 | 0.9 |
| #7 | 2024-12-05 | 204 | 0.8 |
| #8 | 2024-12-17 | 196 | 0.8 |
| #9 | 2024-12-30 | 189 | 0.8 |
| #10 | 2024-12-30 | 189 | 0.8 |
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 | 94 | 46 | 62 |
| FY2024 | 65 | 62 | 14 |
| FY2023 | 38 | 30 | 11 |
| FY2022 | 48 | 50 | 3 |
| FY2021 | 59 | 61 | 5 |
| FY2020 | 137 | 131 | 7 |
| FY2019 | 54 | 54 | 1 |
| FY2018 | 49 | 54 | 1 |
| FY2017 | 58 | 57 | 6 |
| FY2016 | 47 | 46 | 5 |
| FY2015 | 62 | 61 | 4 |
| FY2014 | 49 | 47 | 3 |
| FY2013 | 35 | 34 | 1 |
| FY2012 | 34 | 37 | 0 |
| FY2011 | 48 | 49 | 3 |
| FY2010 | 52 | 53 | 4 |
| FY2009 | 45 | 42 | 5 |
| FY2008 | 22 | 24 | 2 |
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