Sunshine Fest 2025

March 19-20, 2025 • Washington, D.C.

Register • Schedule • Speakers • FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the March 19 reception going to be held?

Clyde’s of Gallery Place, 707 7th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Followed by a meeting of the D.C. Open Government Coalition from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. The closest Metro stop is Gallery Place. There is also paid garage parking available below the restaurant.

Where is the March 20 event going to be held?

The full day of programming March 20 will be held at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. We are fortunate to partner with Johns Hopkins in this event, particularly Shelley Kimball, Associate Program Director and Senior Lecturer for the Master’s of Arts in Communication program. The stop closest to the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center is the Archives-Naval Memorial-Penn Quarter station (Green or Yellow lines), a four-minute walk. The space is beautiful, and has special importance as the former Newseum building, which fostered greater public understanding of freedom of information through journalism!

Where are paid parking garages closest to the Johns Hopkins building?

601 North Building Garage: 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW / Liberty Place Garage: 325 7th Street NW

Should I make my own lodging arrangements?

We do not have a hotel group rate, so it’s up to you to make lodging arrangements. Please see https://sunshineweek.org/sunshine-fest/ for tips on finding an affordable hotel.

I can’t afford travel/hotel. Can you help? Or, can you waive the registration fee?

To get a code to waive the registration fee, email Diana Mitsu Klos at consultdmk@gmail.com. We also have a limited number of fellowships available of up to $1,000 that can go toward reimbursing travel and hotel expenses. One person per organization. Apply here: https://forms.gle/ZGrtmfRmSwSKLAuw6

Where can I learn more about the conference’s goals or get tips on travel, hotels and more?

Check out https://sunshineweek.org/sunshine-fest/

What are the photography/video policies?

All events are subject to being photographed, video/audio-recorded, screen captured and/or live-streamed via social media channels. Attendees, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors may be captured via these formats, which may distributed or used in any way consistent with Sunshine Week’s mission.

What are the expectations for decorum?

Sunshine Fest is committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of race, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical ability, age, appearance or religion. We welcome debate and disagreement while maintaining a civil and respectful community. In general, we subscribe to Chatham House rules in that we recommend not repeating information attributed to a specific person without their permission. However, we understand the need for free speech and transparency, and that anything said at the summit could be disseminated by anyone on social media or elsewhere. Discriminatory or harassing behavior is not acceptable. During Sunshine Fest, any concerns can be brought to the attention of David Cuillier or Diana Mitsu Klos, who will be present throughout the event.

What if I have accessibility needs or dietary restrictions?

Please send a note to Diana Mitsu Klos.

Who came up with the conference programming?

We held three online Zoom brainstorming sessions in January 2024 to collect suggestions for speakers, session topics and conference logistics. We also solicited suggestions through an online form distributed through social media and listservs. Feel free to submit suggestions for next year’s Sunshine Fest!

Will discussions continue beyond March 20?

It is our goal to extend Sunshine Week beyond March to create a year-around collaboration in promoting government transparency and finding common-ground solutions to pressing issues in freedom of information. This stems from a 2020 study by Brechner FOI Project Director David Cuillier, supported by the Knight Foundation, that mapped the FOI universe and provided 10 recommendations to improve government transparency, including creation of “SunCon – National FOI Convention,” and greater collaboration of organizations.

Following up on that research, we will launch the Sunshine United Network to continue the discussions online through the year, building on the partnership with nearly 100 organizations supporting the effort, with the hope of meeting annually in March during Sunshine Week to convene in public. There is nothing like meeting face-to-face once in a while. More information will be forthcoming on the online platform to facilitate such collaborations.

Will there be a Sunshine Fest 2026?

Too soon to know for sure! If people feel it is helpful, that it fosters collaborations, knowledge and energy, then we will assess what is possible for the future. If you think we should, let us know, and if you are a funder who would like to see it continue, also let us know!

Can I buy conference merchandise?

Soon, we will make available the ability to buy T-shirts, coffee mugs, and other merchandise with the Sunshine Fest 2025 logo (above) at the Sunshine Week Store. We will not sell merchandise on site, but we will hand out stickers for your laptops and water bottles!

How can I promote this on social media?

We encourage you to share Sunshine Fest with friends and colleagues through social media, and follow Sunshine Week and Brechner FOI Project on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and Blue Sky! We have provided Sunshine Week graphics online, and a social media toolkit, and will post news and photos throughout the conference. Also, check out our Sunshine Week Zoom backgrounds, including in Spanish.

Who is paying for this?

Journalists know to follow the money to figure out who is really driving an initiative. Sunshine Fest is funded primarily by the Brechner FOI Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications through its endowments it has built during its 48 years of providing research and education in government transparency. Those endowments were driven in the 1980s and 1990s by media supporters, including Joseph and Marion Brechner, who owned television stations and other media properties and championed freedom of information.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation provided us a $575,000 endowment in 2024 to continue the work of Sunshine Week, after shifting it from News Leaders Association (formerly the American Society of Newspaper Editors), which disbanded in June 2024. Sunshine Fest also will be supported by others who champion transparency, including the District of Columbia Open Government Coalition (thank you, President Kirsten Mitchell).

When sponsorships are finalized we will make those public, and we welcome contributions for this Sunshine Fest and beyond. Our policy is that programming is independent of funders – our sessions and topics are driven purely at our discretion, with input from the community (we hosted three Zoom brainstorming sessions in January 2025, and welcome further feedback via our online form).

Who is working behind the scenes to make this happen?

We would like to thank the following for their hard work putting this together:

  • Diana Mitsu Klos, Brechner senior adviser
  • Sydney Sims, Brechner outreach coordinator
  • Abby Rillo, recent UF graduate and Brechner research aide
  • Shelley Kimball, Johns Hopkins host and researcher
  • Billy O’Keefe, web designer
  • Kathleen Minor, Johns Hopkins student helper
  • Gillian Henneberry, Johns Hopkins student helper
  • Chris Vachon, volunteer helper from the Radio Television and Digital News Association
  • Tara Puckey, volunteer helper from the Radio Television and Digital News Association
  • Kate Helster, volunteer helper from the National Press Club
  • MuckRock for assisting with the Sunshine Week store, and all their amazing work
  • National Freedom of Information Coalition for assisting with reimbursement processing

And all of the amazing people who provided ideas for how to make this a success – from all across the FOI universe. You know who you are!

What is the Brechner FOI Project?

We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan center that has provided research and education in freedom of information at the University of Florida since 1977. Check out our team members, our monthly email FOI newsletter (Brechner Report – subscribe!), our social media channels, our peer-reviewed Journal of Civic Information, cash FOI awards for journalists, students, and scholars, and the newly launched Secrecy Tracker. We began coordinating Sunshine Week in 2024, continuing the tradition first started in 2005 by News Leaders Association (formerly American Society of News Editors).

What’s the point? Does government transparency even matter?

Yes! It matters more than ever! Research shows that governments are getting more secretive year-by-year across the country – and world. At the same time, studies show us that government transparency leads to cleaner drinking water, safer restaurants, reduced corruption, fewer re-offending sex offenders, greater trust in institutions, lower taxes, and greater school choice. For every dollar spent on public-records based journalism, society benefits $287 in saved lives, more efficient government, and safer communities. That is an incredibly efficient return on investment, and it’s just good sense. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants, and it’s time to clean up our world!