NHLBI Freedom of Information Act Office
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA),
5 U.S.C. 552, provides individuals with
a right to access to records in the possession
of the Federal government. The government
may withhold information pursuant to the
nine exemptions and three exclusions contained
in the Act.
NHLBI FOIA Staff
- Suzanne A. Freeman, FOIA Coordinator,
NHLBI
Sheri A. Hicks, FOIA Specialist, NHLBI
Meg Scofield, FOIA Specialist, NHLBI
Contact Us
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Building 31, Room 5A33
31 Center Drive MSC 2490
Bethesda MD 20892-2490
301-496-9737
Fax: 301-402-3604
How to Submit a FOIA Request
If the information you are interested
in is not in the public domain, please
follow the suggestions listed below when
preparing your FOIA request:
- Identify specific records requested
(as applicable--grant number and principal
investigator's name, subject matter
of the records, dates, originating
office, etc)
- State that the records are requested
under the Freedom of Information Act
- Include contact information (address,
telephone number, e-mail address)
in case our office needs additional
information
- Sign the request
- Mail or fax the request to the FOIA
Coordinator:
- Suzanne A. Freeman, NHLBI
FOIA Coordinator
Building 31, Room 5A33
31 Center Drive MSC 2490
Bethesda MD 20892-2490
Fax: 301-402-3604
What You Need to Know about FIOA
Grant Applicants
If your grant application is funded, you
should be aware that some or all of this
application as well as documents (such
as correspondence) contained in the grant
file may be requested under FOIA.
“…The Freedom of Information
Act and implementing DHHS regulations
(45 CRF Part 5) require the release of
certain information about grants, upon
request, irrespective of the intended
use of the information. Trade secrets
and commercial, financial, or otherwise
intrinsically valuable information that
is obtained from a person or organization
and that is privileged or confidential
information may be withheld from disclosure.
Information, which, if disclosed, would
be a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal
privacy, may also be withheld from disclosure.
Although the grantee institution and the
principal investigator will be consulted
about any such release, the PHS will make
the final determination. Generally available
for release, upon request, except as noted
above, are: all funded grant applications
including their derivative funded noncompeting
supplemental grant applications; pending
and funded noncompeting continuation applications;
progress reports of grantees; and final
reports of any review or evaluation of
grantee performance conducted or caused
to be conducted by the DHHS. Generally,
not available for release to the public
are: competing grant applications (initial,
competing continuation, and supplemental)
for which awards have not been made; evaluative
portions of site visit reports; and summary
statements of findings and recommendations
of review groups...”
—Grant Application (PHS 398, rev.
05/2001)
If you have questions regarding financial
disclosure FOIA requests, please contact
Suzanne A. Freeman, NHLBI FOIA and Privacy
Act Coordinator, by phone (301-496-9737)
or E-mail
(freemans@mail.nih.gov).
Customer Service
Please help us evaluate the service you
received during your interaction with
the NHLBI FOIA staff. Access our customer
service form (PDF) to return via fax or
mail.
Customer
Satisfaction Survey
More Information
For additional information, visit the
National
Institutes of Health FOIA Page
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