National Science Foundation
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 16 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2024 Q4 (Jul 1 – Sep 30, 2024).
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 | 2013-10-24 | 2,959 | 11.9 |
| #2 | 2014-09-22 | 2,733 | 11.0 |
| #3 | 2016-02-29 | 2,380 | 9.6 |
| #4 | 2016-06-09 | 2,308 | 9.3 |
| #5 | 2016-06-20 | 2,302 | 9.3 |
| #6 | 2016-11-21 | 2,220 | 8.9 |
| #7 | 2017-01-02 | 2,192 | 8.7 |
| #8 | 2017-01-24 | 2,178 | 8.7 |
| #9 | 2017-02-01 | 2,172 | 8.7 |
| #10 | 2017-02-19 | 2,159 | 8.6 |
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 | 290 | 535 | 608 |
| FY2024 | 424 | 374 | 853 |
| FY2023 | 339 | 158 | 684 |
| FY2022 | 302 | 202 | 504 |
| FY2021 | 293 | 257 | 404 |
| FY2020 | 259 | 209 | 369 |
| FY2019 | 327 | 267 | 318 |
| FY2018 | 329 | 349 | 258 |
| FY2017 | 325 | 278 | 278 |
| FY2016 | 348 | 304 | 230 |
| FY2015 | 302 | 298 | 184 |
| FY2014 | 338 | 306 | 180 |
| FY2013 | 378 | 305 | 144 |
| FY2012 | 428 | 415 | 71 |
| FY2011 | 526 | 519 | 58 |
| FY2010 | 500 | 465 | 51 |
| FY2009 | 395 | 382 | 16 |
| FY2008 | 353 | 352 | 3 |
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