Our specific request was related to the collection of data for the effective management, supervision, and monitoring of federal government employees who participate in telework arrangements pursuant to the telework policy adopted by the agency.
FOIA Requests for Data Related to Federal Agency Telework Policies
As mentioned in our landmark article last week, responses have been received that can be used to inform the general public (taxpayers) and remote work employers on best human resource management practices. We will be posting the data shortly.
In the interim, here is the second FOIA denial and actual response by a federal agency. The three common reasons for denying our FOIA request has been:
(a) they don’t collect the data requested,
(b) if data is collected, it isn’t in the best interest of the public to share, and/or
(c) requested fee waiver was not granted.
In this instance, NEA claimed, they “do not keep responsive records.”
Please understand, while this initiative could be perceived as a way to advocate for the dismantling of remote work, telework and hybrid working arrangements already proven to add value. It is not. Rather, it serves as a method for collecting statistics, data and quantifiable information that are actionable. Available for our audience to analyze for potential adaptation and replication in the private sector. At their very own companies, for instance.
Our only aim is to present to our audience of business leaders, executives and human resource professionals a collection of best practices in the areas of remote work, telecommuting, and hybrid arrangements that can be useful. So that you don’t have to!
Rather than spend money unnecessarily and waste valuable time (entrepreneurial remote first employers don’t have) effective business models can be a ‘plug and play’ rather than reinvention of the wheel.
US National Endowment of the Arts
2024 NEA FOIA Response No responsive records Search Remotely
The NEA has a 2025 budget of $210.1 million and employs 167 full time equivalent (FTE) federal workers. The purpose of the NEA “is to fund, promote, and strengthen the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation.” While 80% of its budget is reported to be used as grant funding that is redistributed to individuals and nonprofits throughout the United States, added overhead costs can be attributed to the longstanding practice of “partnering with six regional arts organizations: Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA), Mid Atlantic Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), South Arts, and Creative West. The regional arts organizations, each representing a geographic grouping of states, assist the National Endowment for the Arts in distributing funds and programs nationally through touring and other activities that are responsive to the needs of the region and that address Arts Endowment outcomes.”
Its a wonder with the advancement of technology that the grantmaking process could not better include crowdfunding and crowdsourcing software (and the like) to bring grantors and potential grantees applicants together without the extensive need for middlemen.
Other US Federal Agency Responses to Requests for Civil Servant Telework and Remote Work Data
- US Department of Defense ( Pentagon ), Office of Inspector General
- US Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General
- US Election Assistance Commission
- US National Endowment of the Arts
- 2019-2024 US Consolidated Federal Telework Data: PDF (Spreadsheet, Data Tables Coming Soon!)
