EEOC Strategic Plan 2026-2030

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Table of Contents

Message from the Commission

About the EEOC

Our Mission

Background and Structure of the EEOC

Historical Context

Leadership and Organization

Enforcement

Outreach and Training

The FY 2026–2030 Strategic Plan Framework

Strategic Goal I: Combat and Prevent Employment Discrimination through the Strategic Application of the EEOC’s Law Enforcement Authorities

Strategic Objective I.A.: The agency will have a broad impact on preventing and remedying employment discrimination while providing meaningful relief for victims of discrimination

Strategic Objective I.B.: The agency will exercise its enforcement authority even-handedly, efficiently, and based on the circumstances of each charge or complaint

Strategic Goal II: Prevent Employment Discrimination and Advance Equal Employment Opportunities Through Outreach and Training

Strategic Objective II.A.: Members of the public are aware of employment discrimination laws, know their rights and responsibilities under these laws, and understand how to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC

Strategic Objective II.B.: Employers, federal agencies, unions, and staffing agencies have the information necessary to advance equal employment opportunity for all workers, prevent discrimination, and remedy discriminatory practices

Strategic Goal III: Strive for Organizational Excellence through Our People, Practices, and Technology

Strategic Objective III.A.: Sustain a high-performing workforce aligned to mission requirements

Strategic Objective III.B.: Align resources, technology, and operations to improve performance and service delivery

External Factors Affecting Achievement of the Strategic Plan

Program Evaluations

Acknowledgements

Message from the Commission

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC,” “agency,” or “Commission”) is pleased to release the agency’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030 (the “Strategic Plan” or “Plan”). This Strategic Plan will guide the agency as we fulfill our mission of preventing and remedying unlawful employment discrimination and advancing equal employment opportunity for all. The work of the Commission depends on the daily efforts of over 1,700 dedicated employees, located in its headquarters and 53 field offices across the nation, along with our federal, state, local, and Tribal partners.  

The Strategic Plan is guided by three values that form the basis of our agency culture and guide our daily work:

• Commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity
• Accountability
• Integrity

Commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity: Congress entrusted the Commission with the responsibility of enforcing the nation’s employment anti-discrimination laws. These laws reflect Congress’s vision of equal opportunity in our nation’s workplaces. To honor the trust that has been given us, we must have an unwavering commitment to carrying out that vision.

Accountability: Like all federal agencies, the EEOC is accountable to the public it serves. We must therefore continue to demand excellence in ourselves and have systems in place to hold us accountable. To this end, the Commission must ensure that the resources entrusted to us are used to advance the agency’s mission, that the EEOC workforce has adequate skills, and that the agency consistently implements effective processes that are periodically evaluated and updated, as appropriate.

Integrity: The Commission has an obligation to be impartial as it investigates charges in the private sector and adjudicates cases in the federal sector. If we conclude that unlawful discrimination has occurred, we have an obligation to advance the public interest and work to remedy the harm caused by discrimination. Moreover, every person we serve or with whom we interact in the performance of our duties and every member of the EEOC workforce is entitled to be treated with respect, courtesy, professionalism, and excellent service.

In keeping with these values, the Strategic Plan builds on the Commission’s successes and challenges us to do more. It requires us to take a critical look at what we have accomplished and actively work towards further improvements in our service and processes. The Plan prioritizes a coordinated, holistic approach to preventing discrimination and enforcing the law, recognizing that while external factors outside of the agency’s control may impact the EEOC’s yearly progress, we are committed to steadfastly pursue our mission in service to the American public.

About the EEOC

Our Mission

Equal opportunity for all is one of our nation’s most cherished and hard-fought values. Since 1965, the EEOC has been the leading federal law enforcement agency dedicated to preventing and remedying employment discrimination and advancing equal opportunity for all in the workplace. The Strategic Plan establishes a framework for achieving the EEOC’s mission:

To prevent and remedy unlawful employment discrimination and advance equal employment opportunity for all.

Background and Structure of the EEOC

Historical Context

The EEOC was created in direct response to the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The agency first opened its doors on July 2, 1965. The mandate and authority of the EEOC were set forth in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and expanded in later laws enacted by Congress. Over more than six decades, our jurisdiction has grown and now includes the following statutes: 

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), as amended, prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), as amended, prohibits employment discrimination against workers age 40 and older.
• The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (PDA) amended Title VII to clarify that discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions constitutes sex discrimination and requires employers to treat women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions the same as any other employees with temporary disabilities with respect to terms and conditions of employment, including health benefits.
• The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) (included in the Fair Labor Standards Act), as amended, prohibits sex discrimination in the payment of wages to men and women performing substantially equal work in the same establishment.
• Titles I and V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as amended, prohibit employment discrimination based on disability by private and state and local government employers.
• Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provide the same protections for federal employees and applicants for federal employment.
• The Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 (GERA) extends federal employment discrimination protections to certain state and local government employees who serve in policymaking, advisory, or other appointed positions.
• Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) prohibits employment discrimination based on an applicant’s or employee’s genetic information (including family medical history).
• The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2022 (PWFA) requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations for a qualified applicant’s or employee’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an undue hardship.

Together, these laws protect individuals from employment discrimination (including unlawful harassment) based on race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, and genetic information. They also make it illegal to retaliate against a person for opposing employment discrimination, filing a charge of discrimination, or participating in an employment discrimination proceeding. Title VII, the PWFA, and the ADA require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for religion, pregnancy, and disability, respectively, absent undue hardship. Finally, provisions in the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and GINA strictly limit covered entities from obtaining health-related information from applicants and employees and require that any genetic or medical information a covered entity has about an applicant or employee be kept confidential.

Most of these laws apply to private and state and local government employers with 15 or more employees, labor organizations, employment agencies, and the federal government (“covered entities”). (The ADEA applies to state and local governments and to private employers with 20 or more employees; there is no minimum employee requirement under the EPA). Title VII and Executive Order 12067 also authorize the EEOC to coordinate and lead the federal government’s efforts to combat workplace discrimination.

Leadership and Organization

The Commission is composed of five members, not more than three of whom may be members of the same political party. Members of the bipartisan Commission are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a set term of five years. The President designates one member of the Commission to serve as Chair. The President also may designate a Vice Chair. The Chair is responsible, on behalf of the Commission, for the administrative operations of the agency.

The EEOC’s General Counsel is also appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a term of four years. The General Counsel is responsible for the conduct of litigation pursuant to the agency’s statutory authorities.

EEOC Organizational Structure

(https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc-organizational-structure)

Enforcement

Private and State and Local Government Sectors. There are two major enforcement mechanisms available to the EEOC in the private and state and local government sectors. The first is the investigation and conciliation (also called the “administrative process”) of charges brought by an individual or by a Commissioner alleging discrimination. The second is the litigation process—bringing individual, class, and systemic cases (including pattern-or-practice cases) in federal court against a covered entity that the agency believes has violated one or more of the laws the EEOC enforces. When discrimination is found, the goal of the laws enforced by the EEOC is to place the victim in the same position they would have been in absent discrimination; this can include reinstatement, back pay, damages, and requiring the employer to take steps to prevent discrimination in the future.

An individual may file a private discrimination lawsuit against a covered entity under the laws enforced by the EEOC; however, most of the EEOC’s laws require the individual to first file a charge of discrimination with the agency or a state or local Fair Employment Practices Agency (“FEPA”), as discussed below. The person filing a charge is generally known as a “charging party” and the organization against whom the charge is filed is known as a “respondent.” Congress created this administrative exhaustion requirement to provide the EEOC with the opportunity to determine if there is reasonable cause to believe discrimination has occurred and to provide an opportunity for voluntary resolution where possible. A member of the Commission may also file a charge alleging discrimination under Title VII, the ADA, the PWFA, or GINA, known as a Commissioner Charge. In addition, the EEOC may initiate directed investigations under the EPA and the ADEA. No charging party is required for a Commissioner Charge or an agency-initiated directed investigation, although both are filed on behalf of aggrieved individuals.

Since 1995, the EEOC has offered an alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) process to attempt early resolution of certain charges prior to the initiation of investigation following intake. The respondent and charging party are invited to voluntarily mediate these charges. During mediation, the focus is not on whether the law has been violated, but on whether the issue can be resolved to the parties’ mutual satisfaction.

Charges not resolved in mediation are investigated to determine if there is reasonable cause to believe discrimination has occurred. The EEOC is authorized to issue administrative subpoenas in aid of its investigations. If reasonable cause is found, the agency provides the respondent an opportunity to remedy the discriminatory practice(s) through conciliation.

If the matter is not successfully conciliated, the EEOC generally is authorized to bring a civil action against the respondent in federal court. Claims brought by the federal government under Title VII, the ADA, the PWFA, or GINA against a respondent state or local government employer may be brought only by the U.S. Attorney General. Thus, if the EEOC’s investigation of a charge under one or more of these statutes against a state or local government employer concludes there is reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred, the EEOC refers the matter to the Department of Justice. A charging party may also intervene in cases under Title VII, the ADA, the PWFA or GINA where the government pursues litigation. The agency and the Attorney General are also authorized to issue Notices of Right to Sue to charging parties who wish to institute private litigation under Title VII, the ADA, the PWFA, or GINA. Notices of Right to Sue are not necessary for a charging party to file suit under the ADEA or EPA.

Congress also has authorized the agency to cooperate with state and local FEPAs, which are responsible for administering state or local fair employment laws, and to enter into agreements with these agencies to undertake investigation and conciliation of charges that would otherwise be investigated and conciliated by the EEOC. Each year, the EEOC has work-sharing agreements with 80 or more state and local FEPAs.

In addition, the agency annually partners with over 60 Tribal Employment Rights Offices (“TEROs”) to promote equal employment opportunity on or near Native American/Alaska Native reservations or Tribal lands. Beginning in FY 2021, pursuant to Executive Order 13175, the EEOC engages in consultations with Tribal leaders to develop an agency-wide process for consultation and to expand outreach to people on Tribal lands to ensure they know their rights under the federal laws EEOC enforces. This outreach goes beyond the contracted TEROs and may include any number of the 574 federally recognized Native American Tribes and Alaska Native entities.

Federal Government Sector. Title VII and other employment anti-discrimination laws guarantee that personnel actions affecting federal employees or applicants for federal employment “shall be made free from any discrimination” based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. Federal employees also are protected against retaliation for complaining about discrimination, filing a complaint of discrimination, or participating in an employment discrimination proceeding. The restrictions on the acquisition and disclosure of genetic and other medical information that apply to private and state and local government employers under the ADA and GINA also apply to federal agencies. The EEOC is charged with both adjudicatory and oversight responsibilities regarding this guarantee.

Federal employees or applicants (“complainants”) who believe they have been subjected to unlawful employment discrimination must first contact their agency’s equal employment opportunity (“EEO”) counselor, who will provide them with the choice of participating in either EEO counseling or a federal ADR program. If the matter is not settled through counseling or ADR, the complainant may file a formal complaint with the employing agency’s EEO office, and the agency must investigate and determine if the complaint meets jurisdictional and other requirements. While the investigatory processes of an agency are governed by procedural regulations issued by the EEOC, an agency has full control over the investigation itself.

After the investigation, the complainant is given the option of requesting a hearing with an EEOC administrative judge (“AJ”) or receiving a final decision from the employing agency. If the complainant chooses a hearing, the AJ will review the claim and issue a decision. The agency must then take final action on the complaint by issuing a Final Order implementing the AJ’s decision or, if it disagrees with the AJ’s decision, appealing the decision to the EEOC’s Office of Federal Sector (“OFS”).

If the complainant chooses not to request a hearing, the employing agency will issue a Final Agency Decision (“FAD”) on the merits of the complaint. If the complainant is dissatisfied with either the AJ’s decision or the FAD issued by the agency, the complainant may file an appeal with OFS, who will review the AJ’s or agency’s decision, make a formal determination, and issue a final decision. Complainants may pursue their claims in federal court if a final decision is not issued within 180 days of the date their complaint or the EEOC appeal was filed.

The EEOC is authorized to provide appropriate remedies to a federal complainant, including reinstatement, back pay, and damages. Relief ordered by the EEOC is binding on an agency, except in limited circumstances, and an agency may not appeal an adverse decision in federal court. A federal complainant may file a lawsuit in federal court if the complainant receives an adverse decision from the EEOC.

The EEOC also has oversight and compliance responsibilities in the federal sector, with the authority to review, approve, and evaluate federal agency EEO plans and affirmative action programs related to disability and to review and evaluate the operation of all federal agency EEO programs. The EEOC conducts comprehensive reviews of federal agencies’ EEO programs and their progress toward attaining model EEO status under Management Directive 715. The program evaluations may be conducted on site and may result in remedial recommendations and a schedule of compliance reports.

Outreach and Training

In addition to administrative and legal enforcement, the EEOC is required to provide technical assistance and training regarding the laws and regulations it enforces. The EEOC fulfills this mandate in the private, state and local government, and federal sectors by conducting no-cost and fee-based outreach and technical assistance education programs. The EEOC also issues a range of resources, including technical assistance documents and digital media, that explain existing legal requirements in non-technical language.

The FY 2026–2030 Strategic Plan Framework

To accomplish its mission, the EEOC will pursue the following strategic goals and objectives: ¹ 

Strategic Goal I: Combat and Prevent Employment Discrimination through the Strategic Application of the EEOC’s Law Enforcement Authorities

Strategic Goal I reflects the EEOC’s primary mission of preventing unlawful employment discrimination through: (1) the administrative (investigation and conciliation) and litigation enforcement mechanisms applicable to private employers, labor organizations, employment agencies, and state and local government employers, as entrusted to the EEOC by Congress; and (2) the adjudicatory and oversight mechanisms for federal employers that Congress entrusted to the EEOC.

There are two objectives for Strategic Goal I:

Strategic Objective I.A.: The agency will have a broad impact on preventing and remedying employment discrimination while providing meaningful relief for victims of discrimination.

The agency will achieve this objective by rigorously and consistently focusing resources on EEOC priorities as set forth in the agency’s National Enforcement Plan (NEP), using administrative and litigation mechanisms as well as federal sector adjudications and oversight activities to identify and eradicate discriminatory policies and practices, including systemic practices. Where unlawful discrimination is found, the agency will seek effective remedies to end discriminatory practices, deter future discrimination, and provide meaningful relief to individual victims of discrimination.

Strategic Objective I.B.: The agency will exercise its enforcement authority even-handedly, efficiently, and based on the circumstances of each charge or complaint.

The agency will achieve this objective by rigorously and consistently implementing charge and case management for private sector and state and local government charges, as well as federal sector complaints, aligned with the NEP.

Strengthening the Capacity of the Agency in the Private, Public, and Federal Sectors

Due to the demand for the EEOC’s services, the agency must be strategic in how it utilizes its resources. During the past three fiscal years (2023-2025), the EEOC has received an annual average of approximately 86,000 private sector charges of discrimination, approximately 7,000 requests for federal sector hearings, and 4,100 requests for federal sector appeals. ²   During that period, the annual average of private sector charges increased by approximately 19,000 compared with the prior three fiscal years (2020-2022), while the number of requests for federal sector hearings and requests for federal sector appeals remained steady. The large number of individual charges of discrimination, paired with the consistently high numbers of federal sector requests for hearings and appeals that the EEOC receives, requires the EEOC to think strategically about how to allocate its resources to ensure the strongest impact possible in its efforts to stop unlawful employment discrimination.

Since at least 1995, the Commission has categorized charges for priority handling based on the likelihood of an investigation resulting in a finding of reasonable cause to believe that discrimination has occurred. Known as the Priority Charge Handling Procedures (PCHP), charge prioritization is a continuous process that occurs throughout the life of a charge. In each case, an investigation should be appropriate to the charge, considering the EEOC’s resources. The NEP works in tandem with the PCHP to empower agency investigators and litigators to focus their resources strategically.

The Commission’s Systemic Program

In 2006, the Commission adopted its Systemic Initiative, which later grew to become its Systemic Program. ³ This program makes the identification, investigation, and litigation of systemic discrimination cases (pattern or practice, policy, and/or class cases where the alleged discrimination has a broad impact on an industry, profession, company, or geographic area) a top priority. Specifically, the Systemic Program now seeks to focus on resolving complex systemic cases impacting ten or more employees and obtaining meaningful targeted equitable relief and monetary relief in such matters. The Systemic Program ensures that the EEOC addresses such cases utilizing a coordinated, strategic, and effective approach. The Program requires the agency to use its administrative and litigation tools effectively—including Commissioner Charges, directed investigations, and the strategic use of empirical data—to identify and stop facially discriminatory policies and other instances of systemic discrimination.

Performance Measures for Strategic Goal I, Objectives I.A. and I.B.

The EEOC developed seven performance measures to track its progress in achieving its objectives for Strategic Goal I.

Performance Measure 1: 97% of EEOC conciliation agreements and favorable litigation resolutions contain targeted, equitable relief, and that level is maintained through FY 2030.

An important activity undertaken by the EEOC is negotiating resolutions of charges after an investigation has determined there is reasonable cause to believe that unlawful employment discrimination has occurred. It is neither appropriate nor feasible to set a target for the number of reasonable cause determinations the agency makes, because every investigation is dependent on the facts of the case. However, it is appropriate to set an objective for the type of relief that should be sought in case resolutions once reasonable cause has been found.

Performance Measure 1 is designed to encourage the EEOC to seek relief that goes beyond monetary damages for individual victims of discrimination. While it is vital that the EEOC seeks meaningful relief for individuals, the Commission’s ultimate goal must be to protect all employees and jobseekers from unlawful discriminatory practices.

Targeted, equitable relief includes any non-monetary and non-generic relief that explicitly addresses the discriminatory employment practices at issue in the case, and which provides remedies to the aggrieved individuals or prevents similar violations in the future. Such relief may include customized training for supervisors and employees, development of policies and practices to deter future discrimination, and external monitoring of employer actions, as appropriate.

Performance Measure 2: In each year through FY 2030, the EEOC continues to favorably resolve at least 90% of enforcement lawsuits.

Performance Measure 2 places a premium on maintaining the high level of successful resolutions in the EEOC’s litigation program. Successful resolutions include cases decided by favorable court order and those concluded through a consent decree or a settlement agreement in litigation. Achieving success on this measure will ensure that the EEOC continues to exercise its prosecutorial discretion responsibly, while allowing the agency to take on challenging priority issues and litigate complex cases. This measure is significant because the achievement of success in cases raising priority issues under the NEP is often challenging and resource-intensive, especially in cases involving emerging or developing legal issues and systemic cases. The EEOC seeks to reach and, when possible, exceed this ambitious target through FY 2030.

Performance Measure 3: The EEOC’s Systemic Program will focus on resolving complex systemic matters involving ten or more aggrieved individuals and will seek to achieve meaningful targeted equitable relief and monetary relief in such matters.

Performance Measure 3 emphasizes the agency’s need to focus its systemic investigation efforts on cases that have a broad impact on an industry, profession, company, or geographic region and bring significant relief to workers harmed by systemic discriminatory patterns, practices, or policies. Through FY 2030, the EEOC Systemic Program will seek to achieve meaningful targeted equitable relief and monetary relief in complex systemic matters impacting ten or more aggrieved individuals.

Performance Measure 4: The EEOC will make significant progress toward enhanced monitoring of conciliation agreements and each year will report on specific developments the agency has made.

Performance Measure 4 recognizes that compliance reviews are critical to ensuring full satisfaction of the EEOC’s conciliation agreements. When the EEOC finds reasonable cause to believe discrimination has occurred, the agency issues a determination and invites the parties to engage in informal efforts to resolve the charge, known as conciliation. Successful conciliation agreements routinely include relief for the aggrieved individuals, as well as targeted, equitable relief that explicitly addresses the discriminatory employment practices at issue in the case and is designed to prevent similar violations in the future.

Performance Measure 4 will focus on enhancing the agency’s compliance monitoring function, including streamlined and standardized procedures, improved tracking and internal reporting mechanisms, and related training for EEOC field staff. Effective compliance monitoring is critical to the EEOC’s ability to ensure workplaces are free from discrimination after the EEOC makes a finding of discrimination.

Performance Measure 5: Beginning in FY 2026, establish baseline measures for cabinet-level federal agencies’ compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) requirements.

Specifically, (1) timeliness of EEO complaint processing, (2) approval or disapproval of affirmative action plans for individuals with disabilities, and (3) structural and functional independence of EEO programs, consistent with the Elijah E. Cummings Federal Employee Anti-Discrimination Act of 2020. From FY 2027 through FY 2030, increase performance in each measure by 1 percentage point annually over the FY 2026 baseline, resulting in a cumulative 4 percentage point improvement by FY 2030.

Performance Measure 5 recognizes that because the federal government is the largest employer in the United States, reducing unlawful employment discrimination in the federal sector is an integral part of combatting employment discrimination in the nation’s workplaces. The federal government has tremendous influence over the employment practices of private and public employers across the nation and around the world. Thus, the promotion of equal employment opportunity in the federal government can positively impact all employees and jobseekers.

The EEOC is responsible for ensuring federal agencies’ EEO programs comply with the EEOC’s regulations, directives, guidance, and relevant statutes. In particular, the EEOC evaluates the timeliness of EEO complaint processing and reviews the disability program and EEO program structures as required by the Elijah E. Cummings Federal Employee Antidiscrimination Act of 2020. The Elijah E. Cummings Act strengthens federal anti-discrimination accountability and reporting under the No FEAR Act.

Performance Measure 6: For each year through FY 2030, at least 90% of completed investigations and conciliations, hearings, and federal appeals meet or exceed criteria established in each program’s Quality Practices Plan.

Performance Measure 6 builds on the EEOC’s previous Strategic Plan with a measure focused on quality in both the private and federal sector programs. The agency’s Quality Enforcement Practices for Effective Investigations and Conciliations, known as the QEP, promotes the rigorous implementation of quality investigations and conciliations with progress goals established for each year of the Plan. The quality reviews in this Plan strengthen opportunities to constructively resolve cases for workers and employers through investigation and conciliation.  Performance Measure 6 also provides targets for quality work in the federal sector. The Federal Sector Quality Practices Plan (FSQP) was approved by the Commission on January 10, 2017, and includes quality components for hearings and appeals.

During FY 2026, the agency will assess quality reviews conducted during the previous Strategic Plan period and consider updates needed to future reviews. In FY 2027 through FY 2030, the agency will track and report annually on the percentage of reviewed investigations and conciliations, hearings, and federal appeals that met or exceeded QEP and FSQP criteria and utilize results to establish focus areas for improvements in the following fiscal year.

Performance Measure 7: During FY 2026–FY 2030, the EEOC will continue to enhance its intake services to potential Charging Parties, Respondents, and Representatives by building and implementing technological solutions to improve and expand accessibility to intake services, reducing the volume of pending intake inventory 2% per year from the baseline year of FY 2025, and by FY 2030, decreasing the time taken to process intake inquiries by 10% over the prior year’s average. 

Performance Measure 7 recognizes the importance of intake to the EEOC charge filing process. Intake is the first step in the investigative process. Further technological improvements are planned to the agency’s current digital charge and filing system during FY 2026 through advancements in the overall intake process. The agency expects these improvements will reduce the volume of pending inventory in subsequent years. 

Strategic Goal II: Prevent Employment Discrimination and Advance Equal Employment Opportunities Through Outreach and Training

Investigations, mediations, conciliations, and litigation are only some of the means that the EEOC uses to fulfill its mission and vision. Title VII expressly requires the agency to engage in outreach and training activities, including providing training and technical assistance, on the laws enforced by the EEOC. Strategic Objective II, to prevent employment discrimination and advance equal employment opportunities through education and outreach, reflects the EEOC’s obligation to deter employment discrimination before it occurs. Outreach and training programs, projects, and events are also cost-effective law enforcement tools because they promote understanding of the law and voluntary compliance. All parties benefit when the workplace is free of discrimination, and everyone has access to equal employment opportunity.

There are two objectives for Strategic Goal II:

Strategic Objective II.A.: Members of the public are aware of employment discrimination laws, know their rights and responsibilities under these laws, and understand how to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC.

The EEOC will achieve this objective by leveraging technology and innovative strategies to reach individuals who are unaware of their right to discrimination-free workplaces and provide education on how to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC.  

Strategic Objective II.B.: Employers, federal agencies, unions, and staffing agencies have the information necessary to advance equal employment opportunity for all workers, prevent discrimination, and remedy discriminatory practices.

The agency will achieve this objective by expanding the EEOC’s reach to employers, federal agencies, and other covered entities, to provide up-to-date outreach and training on the requirements of employment discrimination laws, and ensure broad awareness of agency enforcement efforts, to the extent they may be made public.

The EEOC’s outreach and training program is an important tool the agency utilizes to prevent and remedy employment discrimination. The Commission provides outreach and training to ensure that all workers are aware of employment discrimination laws, their rights under these laws, and how to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC. Moreover, it is important for the agency to provide technical assistance to the employer community, including small and new businesses, to prevent discrimination and assist employers to identify and remedy discriminatory practices.

The EEOC has a robust outreach and training program that provides both free and fee-based opportunities for stakeholders and the public. In FY 2025, the EEOC provided free training on rights and responsibilities under its statutes to more than 231,000 individuals at more than 2,000 events. In the same year, the EEOC provided fee-based training to nearly 19,700 individuals at more than 260 events.

The EEOC often cooperates with other agencies in the performance of outreach and training activities. Some of our important partners are state and local FEPAs, TEROs, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

The EEOC’s efforts to strengthen and focus its outreach and training activities have included increasing its use of technology and expanding the EEOC’s social media presence. The EEOC’s website provides critical educational materials, including information on the laws the agency enforces, the private sector charge and federal sector complaint processes and data. The agency has continued to make progress toward making its website more user-friendly and accessible. This Plan emphasizes the need to leverage technology to directly reach the agency’s varied and wide-ranging audiences—including employees, jobseekers, employers, unions, employment agencies, attorneys, judges, issue advocates, and policymakers. In addition, the EEOC will continue to enhance its use of social media to educate the public about the agency’s enforcement activities and encourage greater use of the website.

With a continued focus on providing clear, easy-to-understand materials for a diverse array of audiences, this Plan also provides that the EEOC will review its sub-regulatory documents and update or augment them as appropriate with accessible and plain language materials.

Finally, continued emphasis on outreach and training in the federal sector is equally important to the EEOC’s efforts to promote broad compliance with federal workplace anti-discrimination laws. In FY 2025, the EEOC also bolstered its outreach and training program in the federal sector, focusing on both free and fee-based education and training opportunities. In total, the EEOC delivered over 450 federal sector outreach, education, and training events, and provided more than 23,000 federal sector employees and EEO professionals with information about employment discrimination and their rights and responsibilities in the workplace. This Plan leverages these activities and relationships to drive the creation of a government-wide network to provide information about leading practices in the Federal Sector.

The EEOC developed four performance measures to track its progress in achieving its objectives for Strategic Goal II.

Performance Measures for Strategic Goal II

Performance Measure 8: By FY 2030, the EEOC leverages innovative outreach strategies to provide members of the public greater access to information about their rights and responsibilities, including how to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC.

Performance Measure 8 focuses on using innovative outreach strategies to strengthen and expand the impact of the EEOC’s outreach and training activities in reaching members of the public to educate them about their rights and responsibilities, including how to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC. This will be accomplished by implementing technological changes to track when charging parties learn about their right to file a charge of discrimination from an outreach and training event. The agency will also focus on innovative outreach strategies to reach individuals, particularly vulnerable workers and those in underserved communities who are unaware of their right to workplaces free from employment discrimination, and educate them about the laws enforced by the agency, including how to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC. With a focus on ensuring that these individuals are aware of how to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC, the agency will utilize its outreach and education programs to prevent and remedy discrimination.

Performance Measure 9: By FY 2030, the agency will expand the EEOC’s reach to employers, federal agencies, and other covered entities, ensure they have the information necessary to prevent discrimination and remedy discriminatory practices, and create broad awareness of agency enforcement efforts, to the extent they may be made public.

Performance Measure 9 focuses on expanding the agency’s reach to employers, federal agencies, and other covered entities, and providing them the information necessary to prevent discrimination and remedy discriminatory practices. The agency will provide resources and training materials to educate employers on their obligations under Title VII, with a focus on substantive categories set out in the agency’s NEP.  The agency will accomplish this by assessing its partnership list and determining industries and geographical areas that would benefit from a refocused approach to outreach and training. The agency will develop an augmented stakeholder list and increase training and outreach events for new agency partners, that we were not previously reaching with our outreach and training program. The agency will also work to create broad awareness of agency enforcement efforts, to the extent they may be made public, particularly for new agency partners who may be less familiar with the work of the agency.

Performance Measure 10: By FY 2026, the EEOC updates existing training materials and creates new, user-friendly resource tools to address and prevent workplace discrimination.

Performance Measure 10 will ensure that the EEOC’s resource materials are updated to use plain language. The target for FY 2027 is to establish a cross-functional group representing offices that develop and utilize outreach and public materials to assess the status of current resources, identify necessary updates, and establish a schedule that prioritizes those most critical for action. The agency’s enforcement work in the private and public sectors, its adjudicatory and oversight work in the federal sector, and its outreach and training work all depend on the availability of current and accessible materials explaining the laws the EEOC enforces and how to comply with them.

Performance Measure 11: Develop and sustain a comprehensive stakeholder engagement measurement system for EdCon that tracks satisfaction, transparency, and programmatic impact across federal sector stakeholder groups.  

Performance Measure 11 builds on the EEOC’s core role of providing leadership and guidance to federal agencies on all aspects of their EEO programs, with an emphasis on compliance, efficiency, and practical assistance. In this role, the EEOC ensures agency adherence to federal sector regulations; provides technical assistance on EEO complaint adjudication; monitors and evaluates affirmative employment programs; produces annual reports on complaint processing, appellate activity, and compliance; identifies key trends and emerging issues; develops educational materials; and delivers targeted training to stakeholders. Consistent with a compliance-focused approach, the EEOC prioritizes early resolution, clear guidance, and proactive support to help agencies meet their obligations and prevent violations before they occur.

This Performance Measure advances the Commission’s Strategic Goal II by strengthening engagement through the EEOC’s Education Consortium (EdCon), with a focus on delivering practical, high-value technical assistance. In line with the Commission’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and stakeholder service, this initiative establishes a structured framework to measure participant satisfaction, engagement quality, and program effectiveness.

EdCon serves as a central platform for federal sector education, promoting best practices and facilitating collaboration among stakeholders. Over the past five years, it has grown to include more than 2,000 registered federal employees. Consistent with the Commission’s emphasis on compliance assistance, this measure formalizes data collection and evaluation processes to ensure that engagement efforts are results-driven, responsive to stakeholder needs, and aligned with agency priorities.

Strategic Goal III: Strive for Organizational Excellence through Our People, Practices, and Technology

Strategic Goal III, achieving organizational excellence, seeks to improve management functions with a focus on people, service to the public, information technology, infrastructure enhancement, and accountable financial stewardship. These areas are cross-cutting and require integration and coordination to promote organizational excellence from internal and external perspectives.

For the EEOC to accomplish Strategic Goals I and II, it must ensure excellence in its people and the service it provides to the public, as well as its effective management of financial and technological resources. Strategic Goal III is both stewardship-focused and operational. In recognition of this, and to ensure the agency is held accountable for improving its operations where necessary, the Commission is including Organizational Excellence as a goal in its Strategic Plan. 

There are two objectives for Strategic Goal III:

Strategic Objective III.A.: Sustain a high-performing workforce aligned to mission requirements. 

This objective focuses on recruiting and maintaining a workforce with the capacity, skills, and leadership necessary to carry out the EEOC’s mission. It emphasizes reducing vacancies in mission-critical positions and expanding employee skills training and development opportunities. Progress is measured through staffing levels and workforce development outcomes.

Strategic Objective III.B.: Align resources, technology, and operations to improve performance and service delivery. 

This objective focuses on improving how the EEOC delivers services by strengthening operational processes, leveraging technology, and using data to guide decision-making. It emphasizes improving timeliness, service quality, and transparency, while ensuring resources are aligned with agency priorities. Progress is measured through service outcomes, operational efficiency, and effective budget execution. 

Performance Measures for Strategic Objective III.A.

The EEOC developed three performance measures to track its progress in achieving Strategic Objective III.A.

Performance Measure 12: Maintain agency staffing levels at ≥ 95% of FTE baseline, established by the Strategic Hiring Committee based on appropriations availability.

The EEOC will maintain staffing levels that support mission requirements, based on annual appropriations and Strategic Hiring Committee authorized levels. The agency will monitor vacancy trends, hiring activity, and recruitment challenges, and will take steps to minimize avoidable delays in filling positions. It will focus on mission-aligned recruitment, aiming to build a skilled workforce using its agency Strategic Hiring Committee (SHC), Merit Promotion/Hiring Plan, and Attorney Hiring Plan and through skills-based assessments and targeted hiring for its mission-critical occupations (e.g., investigators, trial attorneys, ADR mediators). The EEOC will seek to increase its effectiveness in assessing applicants based on merit qualifications, as established in the agency’s Merit Hiring Plan with Strategic Hiring Committee oversight. Additionally, the EEOC aims to strengthen employee retention and reduce attrition through programs, initiatives, and other workforce engagement efforts. The agency will begin utilizing updated processes in FY 2026 and will at least quarterly review progress in identifying and selecting the most qualified candidates for each position hired. The EEOC will seek to make the hiring process more efficient and to reduce its time to hire below the government-wide hiring model of less than 80 days.

Performance Measure 13: Invest in workforce development by conducting in-person trainings annually for mission-critical program areas, subject to funding availability.

The agency will implement a variety of training and professional development opportunities for employees to develop and retain a skilled workforce. Training opportunities in the agency’s mission-critical program areas will aim to include sessions provided in-house and by supervisors or obtained from external professional sources, subject to funding availability.

Performance Measure 14: Develop and implement an agency leadership development and succession plan utilizing OPM programs. 

The EEOC will recruit, identify, and select agency employees to participate in one or more leadership development programs sponsored or recommended by OPM, subject to course availability and funding resources. Programs may include Leadership for Efficient and Accountable Government (LEAG), aiming to identify and send 4–8 participants annually, and the SES Candidate Development Program (CDP), aiming to identify and send 6–10 participants bi-annually.   

Performance Measures for Strategic Objective III.B.

The EEOC developed three performance measures to track its progress in achieving Strategic Objective III.B.

Performance Measure 15: Increase external stakeholder service satisfaction. 

The agency will conduct post-service feedback surveys to measure and assess satisfaction of external stakeholders in obtaining services from the EEOC (e.g., intake process, outreach and training, private and federal sector mediation services). The applicable offices will obtain feedback from the targeted audiences the Commission serves, evaluate results quarterly, and implement improvements targeted to areas identified by stakeholders. The agency will strive to, as a whole, improve survey satisfaction scores by 5% annually over the prior fiscal year.

Performance Measure 16: Implement technology-driven process improvements.

Each year, the EEOC will implement a minimum of two technology-driven operational improvements within the agency to increase efficiencies to agency internal processes and stakeholder service capabilities. The Office of the Chief Information Officer will, in conjunction with program offices, identify and establish a schedule for developing and implementing the needed improvements across FY 2026 through FY 2030 and report out on improvements accomplished annually in the Agency Performance Plan. 

Performance Measure 17: The EEOC’s annual congressional budget justification and operating plan is prepared and implemented, meeting all submission deadlines and fully aligned with agency priorities; 90% of program areas meet their respective operating budgets annually.   

Budget requests for each program office shall be directly tied to their operational priorities. The OCFO will track resource allocation across the agency throughout the year and reallocate underutilized resources to support mission-critical resource needs.     

External Factors Affecting Achievement of the Strategic Plan

Many factors outside the EEOC’s control may affect its ability to achieve the objectives set forth in the Strategic Plan. These factors include upcoming budgetary appropriations, demographic changes in the country, court decisions, passage of new laws, and technological advances. The Commission contemplated the following external factors in drafting this Plan.

Budgetary Factors. The Strategic Plan assumes no significant funding fluctuations. Therefore, while budgetary decreases would not change the overall structure of the Plan, they would impact how quickly or completely the agency could achieve some of the Plan’s objectives. Regardless of budgetary changes, the Commission will continue to review available resources and priorities to ensure the appropriate allocation of funds across program areas.

Demographic and Economic Factors. Demographic changes in the country, including migration and immigration patterns, educational levels of the population, the aging of the population, and the size of the population, as well as economic factors will necessarily impact the EEOC’s work. In addition, business cycles, economic downturns, large-scale industry layoffs, other hiring patterns, public health threats, media reports, and increasing public awareness may trigger a significant influx of charges, straining staff capacity to timely process or resolve them. Population shifts may result in increased charge receipts at some field offices, but budget constraints may not allow for hiring additional staff or shifting workloads among offices. Moreover, as populations shift, the agency may need to reassess the size and location of its offices.

Legal Factors. Federal agencies are impacted by legal changes, and this is particularly true of law enforcement agencies. Interpretation of the laws the EEOC enforces by the U.S. Supreme Court may require the agency to issue updated materials. Moreover, these rulings may impact the substantive priorities adopted by the Commission and/or may result in additional charges being filed with the agency. Also, if Congress enacts new laws related to the EEOC’s jurisdiction, the implementation of those laws will necessarily affect the substantive priorities of the agency.

Technological Factors. Changes in technology use and requirements will affect how the EEOC interacts with the public. The EEOC aims to be at the forefront of technological adoption in the federal government. It is anticipated that the rapid growth of generative AI will impact how applicants apply for jobs, how employers screen job applicants, and how the agency performs many of its functions. In addition, increased requirements to combat cybersecurity threats and the need to communicate with a public that increasingly uses mobile and mobile-responsive technology will impact plans for technology infrastructure development.

Given the above factors, the EEOC will continually assess and prioritize its resources to successfully accomplish its mission over the next four years.

Program Evaluations

Program evaluation is an important component of the EEOC’s effort to assure that its programs are operating as intended and achieving results. A program evaluation is a thorough examination of program design or operational effectiveness that uses rigorous methodologies and statistical and analytical tools. Evaluations also use expertise internal and external to the agency and the program under review to enhance the analytical perspectives and lend credence to the methodologies employed, the evaluation processes and findings, and any subsequent recommendations.

Consistent with the Commission’s focus on improving the effectiveness of government through rigorous evaluation and evidence-based policy initiatives, the EEOC will continue to identify appropriate program areas for evaluation during the reporting period of the agency’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030. This will ensure that its efforts align with the agency’s budget and other programmatic priorities. The EEOC will assess its progress on an ongoing basis to reaffirm its commitment to fulfilling the agency’s mission.

Acknowledgements

The development of this update to the EEOC’s Strategic Plan was the result of a highly collaborative effort, shaped by the insight and commitment of leaders across the agency, including EEOC headquarters office directors. The Commission deeply appreciates the diligent, thoughtful contributions of the program heads and agency leaders, which were essential to the completion of this Plan. We are grateful for their sustained engagement, professionalism, and unwavering dedication to advancing the agency’s mission. The agency also solicited and considered comments from the public, and the Commission thanks those who submitted comments for their attention to the agency’s important work.

Endnotes:

• [1] OMB Circular No. A-11, Section 230.5 (2025), requires federal agencies to establish performance goals, measures, and indicators aligned to the agency’s objectives in the strategic plan, among other requirements.
• [2] U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, FY 2025 Annual Performance Report, FY 2027 Congressional Budget Justification.
• [3] See Systemic Enforcement at the EEOC | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.