FOIA Machine automates the creation and filing of FOIA requests, tracks request progress and filing dates, and aggregates data to help improve future requests. The platform will be open and free to anyone and is being built by a team of investigative journalists, data scientists, and coders led by developer Shane Shifflett, a data reporter at The Huffington Post. The project launched on Kickstarter and quickly surpassed its initial $17,500 goal; at the time of publication it had cleared $20,000 from over 600 backers. The Center for Investigative Reporting will host FOIA Machine until public launch, at which point it will be handed off to Investigative Reporters and Editors. The team plans to use the Kickstarter proceeds to finish development, improve functionality, and offset server costs, and has proposed additional features including an API and possible crowdsourcing to cover users' FOIA fees. Over 800 journalists have signed up to use the service when it opens, which the team estimated should happen by Christmas.

Total raised

$20M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Jul 2013