(a) Processing. A person who has made a written request for records which meets the requirements of §1502.4 shall be informed by the Chief FOIA Officer within 20 working days after receipt of the request of the Foundation's decision whether to deny or grant access to the records and the right of the requestor to seek assistance from the Foundation's Chief Public Liaison.

(b) Denials. If the Chief FOIA Officer, with the concurrence of the General Counsel, denies a request for records, the requestor will be informed of the name and title of the official responsible for the denial, the reasons for it, and the right to appeal the decision to the President of the Foundation within 90 calendar days of receipt of the denial. The President shall determine any appeal within 20 days of receipt and notify the requestor within the time period of the decision. If the decision is to uphold the denial, the requestor will be informed of the reasons for the decision, of the right to a judicial review of the decision in the federal courts, and of the dispute resolution services offered by the FOIA Public Liaison of the Foundation or the Office of Government Information Services of the National Archives and Records Administration as a non-exclusive alternative to litigation.

(c) Extension of time. In unusual circumstances, as defined by the FOIA, to the extent reasonably necessary to the proper processing of requests, the time required to respond to a FOIA request or an appeal may be extended for an additional 10 working days upon written notification to the requestor providing the reasons for the extension. If the extension goes beyond 10 working days, USADF will notify the requestor of services provided by the FOIA Public Liaison and the Office of Government Information Services.

(d) Expedited processing. USADF shall process requests and appeals on an expedited basis where the requestor demonstrates a compelling need for the records, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6)(E)(v). USADF shall make a determination of whether to provide expedited processing, and shall notify the requestor of the determination, within 10 calendar days after the receipt of the request. USADF shall provide expeditious consideration of administrative appeals of determinations of whether to provide expedited processing.

(e) Confidential commercial information. Whenever records containing confidential commercial information are requested under the FOIA and USADF determines that it may be required to disclose the records, USADF shall promptly provide written notice to the submitter of the confidential commercial information, in conformity with the procedures set forth in Executive Order 12600, Predisclosure Notification Procedures for Confidential Commercial Information, 3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 235.