FOIA b(3) Exemptions

National Science Foundation FOIA Exemptions

8.2
Use Rate 		41.0
Total claims 		497
Denials

National Science Foundation Annual Reports: '08 |
The National Science Foundation used b(3) exemptions to withhold information from FOIA requesters 497 times in 2008-2009.

Category

  • All
  • Patents
  • Public Contracts
Statute Description Claims
35 USC 122 Information concerning patent applications 31.0
41 USC 253b(m) Proposals submitted by unsuccessful contract bidders 10.0

About This Project

This project uses data compiled by the Sunshine in Government initiative, a coalition of journalism and transparency groups. SGI compiled data from federal agency annual FOIA reports to track how often b(3) exemptions were used. SGI also standardized the exemptions since some agencies used slightly different citations of the same laws. In some cases, agencies listed general laws without specifying a section under which information was withheld. This project does not include information from agencies that use no b(3) exemptions in 2008 or 2009. ProPublica compiled information about FOIA denials.

FOIA Resources