About WhatAboutFOIA

WhatAboutFOIA is a free tool that helps journalists, researchers, attorneys, and curious citizens understand what to expect before filing a Freedom of Information Act request with a federal agency.

What we show

For every federal agency that files an annual FOIA report with the Department of Justice, we surface:

• Grant rates — what percentage of requests result in records being released
• Response times — how long simple and complex requests take on average
• Backlog trends — whether the agency is keeping up or falling behind
• Denial reasons — whether denials are usually "no records found" or exemption-based
• Appeal outcomes — whether appeals actually succeed at this agency
• Submission contacts — the right email, web form, or address to use

Where the data comes from

All statistics come from agencies' official FOIA Annual Reports, which agencies are required by law to submit to the DOJ Office of Information Policy each year. Contact information is sourced from the National FOIA Portal (foia.gov).

Who we are

WhatAboutFOIA is a product of SagerOnline, a small company that builds free public-data tools. No ads, no accounts, no data sold.