Sunshine Fest 2026

March 15-17, 2026 • Washington, D.C.

Register • Schedule • Speakers • FAQ

What

In recognition of Sunshine Week, the University of Florida Brechner Freedom of Information Project, MuckRock, and the National Freedom of Information Coalition are organizing the second-annual in-person conference to find solutions to pressing problems in freedom of information across all disciplinary and geographic boundaries – local, state, federal and global!

We are bringing together journalists, record custodians, policy makers, historians, state FOI coalitions, librarians, academics, civil society nonprofit groups, commercial data providers, and all other constituencies who care about government transparency. Check out 2025’s Sunshine Fest here.

See a schedule, with topics (to be updated as more speakers are confirmed).

To register, visit our EventBrite page! Cost is $50, limited to 200 people.

Why

We want to bring requesters and the government to the same table and identify solutions for improving the public’s ability to acquire information they need to self-govern. The goal: Strengthen democracy, communities, and individuals’ lives. We will also celebrate U.S. FOIA as it turns 60 this year – and discuss the next 60 years ahead.

When

March 15-17, 2026.

Starts with a mixer 5-7 p.m. Sunday, March 15 at SPIN, 1332 F St. NW.

Then runs all day, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday and Tuesday at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center (last afternoon sessions Tuesday focus on federal FOIA in case out-of-town attendees need to head to the airport Tuesday afternoon).

Where

Mixer and Sunshine Science Fair, 5-7 p.m., March 15
SPIN, 1332 F St NW, Washington, D.C.

Sunshine Fest programming, March 16-17
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center, 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. (formerly the Newseum building)

Who

Coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, the National Freedom of Information Coalition, MuckRock, and the Johns Hopkins University Communication Graduate Program. Additional support for Sunshine Fest comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Bloomberg News, Skyward IT Solutions, the Coalition for Sensible Public Records Access, Armedia, Loevy & Loevy, Democracy Fund, John S. Knight Fellowships, and Casepoint/OPEXUS. Conference programming is independent of sponsorships. If you would like to be a sponsor, contact David Cuillier at cuillierd@ufl.edu.

Registered attendees comprise a diverse array of industries and geographies. The inaugural Sunshine Fest in 2025 included 22 attendees from academia, 32 civil society nonprofit organizations, 8 FOI-related businesses, 42 government officials and record custodians, 16 from the news media, 26 from state FOI coalitions, as well as citizen activists, lawyers, and others interested in FOI.

How

Sessions are intended to meet the following criteria:

Of interest and importance to both requesters and government agencies.
Foster understanding, empathy and constructive common-sense solutions.
Cross geographic boundaries – local, state, federal and global.
Cross disciplines – journalism, nonprofit, history, archives, public administration, academia, commercial sector, etc.
Break conventional boundaries – bring new ideas and new perspectives to inspire positive change through legislation, processes, research, and innovative initiatives.

Topics include the latest technologies to improve searches/redactions, how to handle voluminous requests, the state of transparency under Trump and beyond, the use of FOIA for political advocacy, balancing privacy and access, and more. See schedule.

Travel Tips

Airports:

You can take Metro rail from either Washington Dulles (about an hour on Metro) or Reagan National (about 20 minutes on Metro) into Washington, D.C.
A taxi/Lyft/Uber from Dulles to D.C. runs in the $75 range and from National to D.C. around $20.

Metro:

The stop closest to the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center (555 Pennsylvania Ave., NW) is the Archives-Naval Memorial-Penn Quarter station (Green or Yellow lines), a four-minute walk.

Other Metro choices:

Gallery Place-Chinatown Station (Green, Yellow and Red Lines). A 12-minute walk.
Federal Triangle Station (Blue, Orange and Silver Lines). A 13-minute walk.
L’Enfant Plaza Station (Orange, Blue, Silver, Green and Yellow Lines). A 13-minute walk.
Judiciary Square Station (Red Line). A 14-minute walk.

Driving:

The nearest parking garages are:

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

Train:

Amtrak, Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC), and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) all go to Union Station. From there, it’s a 20 minute walk to the building. You can also transfer to a bus, Metro or take a taxi.

Lodging:

D.C. hotels are expensive in the spring, especially as the cherry blossoms bloom.

We do not have a hotel group rate, so it’s up to you to make lodging arrangements.

Hotels within a half-mile walk to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center are all pricey: Waldorf Astoria, Kimpton Hotel Monaco and Riggs Washington. Many attendees are staying at the relatively affordable boutique Motto by Hilton in Chinatown, which isn’t a bad walk and about $250 a night (small rooms, but hip). Other hotels within walking distance that might meet your budget needs (under $300 per night, as of Jan. 7), include: Fairfield by Marriott, Arlo, Yotel, and Moxy Washington.

If you’re a budget traveler like us, search elsewhere in the city or take Metro to Virginia. For slightly less sticker shock, search for hotels within walking distance to the following Virginia stations: Rosslyn (Blue, Orange, Silver lines), Court House (Orange, Silver), Clarendon (Orange, Silver), Pentagon City (Blue, Yellow).

Know Before You Go

Recording notice

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. All conference sessions, materials and activities are subject to recording and may be reproduced in part or whole, and distributed or used in any way consistent with Sunshine Week’s mission.

Do you have accessibility needs or dietary restrictions?

Please send a note to David Cuillier at cuillierd@ufl.edu. Preferences also can be noted during registration, along with requests for special assistance or accommodations.

Code of conduct

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, who will be present throughout the event.

Conference merchandise

Check out the Sunshine Week store to buy T-shirts, hats, hoodies, stickers and other merchandise with the Sunshine Fest logo. We also have merchandise with Sunshine Week logos. At the conference we will hand out stickers for your laptops and water bottles, as well as hand sanitizer touting that “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” You can also purchase MuckRock merchandise at the site.

Spread the word and tag us!

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! Also, follow MuckRock’s frequent posts. 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.

Funding sources

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 endowments it has built during its 49 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. This year Bloomberg News also provides substantial support. Both are recognized as our Platinum Sponsors.

Also to be recognized is our Gold Sponsor Skyward IT Solutions, which is sponsoring the networking continental breakfasts.

Additional support for Sunshine Fest as Silver Sponsors include the Coalition for Sensible Public Records Access, Armedia, Loevy & Loevy, Democracy Fund, John S. Knight Fellowships, BillTrack50 and Casepoint/OPEXUS.

Conference programming is independent of sponsorships. If you would like to be a sponsor, contact David Cuillier at cuillierd@ufl.edu.

Support the cause

We welcome contributions for this Sunshine Fest and beyond. A small portion of this year’s event is supported by sponsorships and registrations. We welcome foundations, philanthropists, civil society organizations and others to support the cause. We do not endorse any product or service. Sponsors are noted on the website, in acknowledgements, and signage. They will have the opportunity to set up exhibitor tables on the first floor, where attendees can visit if they wish, where coffee/snacks are provided. All sponsor revenue goes toward defraying costs of the event. Our policy is that programming is independent of funders – our sessions and topics are driven purely at our discretion, with input from the FOI community. To sponsor Sunshine Fest for this year or the future, contact David Cuillier at cuillierd@ufl.edu.

Acknowledgments

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

Shelley Kimball, Johns Hopkins host and researcher
MuckRock for co-producing the event, and all the amazing work they do
National Freedom of Information Coalition for assisting with reimbursement processing
Billy O’Keefe, web designer
Chris Vachon, volunteer helper from the Radio Television and Digital News Association
Tara Puckey, volunteer helper from the Radio Television and Digital News Association
News Leaders Association for launching Sunshine Week and carrying the torch
University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, Dean Hub Brown, for strong support
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for its endowment support of Sunshine Week

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!

Learn more about the Brechner FOI Project

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.

For more information

Contact Brechner FOI Project Director David Cuillier at cuillierd@ufl.edu.

See the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Schedule
at a glance

Sunday, March 15

5-7 p.m.
Mixer and Sunshine Science Fair, located at SPIN, 1332 F St NW, Washington, D.C.

Monday, March 16

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center
555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C.

8-9 a.m.
Check-in and continental breakfast, sponsored by Skyward IT Solutions

9-10:15 a.m.
Plenary: Promoting transparency

10:15-10:45 a.m.
Networking break (beverages and snacks)

10:45 a.m.-noon
Breakout sessions

Noon-1:15 p.m.
Boxed lunches; FOIA Hall of Fame videos; NFOIC members meeting

1:15-2:30 p.m.
Breakout sessions

2:30-3 p.m.
Networking break (beverages and snacks)

3-4:15 p.m.
Breakout sessions

4:15-6:15 p.m.
Reception with appetizers and two drink tickets provided

Dinner on your own
(with friends, old and new!)

Tuesday, March 17

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center
555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C.

8-9 a.m.
Mingle with continental breakfast, sponsored by Skyward IT Solutions

9-10:15 a.m.
Plenary: FOI champions

10:15-10:45 a.m.
Networking break (beverages and snacks)

10:45 a.m.-Noon
Breakout sessions

12-1 p.m.
Boxed lunches; FOIA trivia contest; NFOIC members meeting

1-2:30 p.m.
Future of Freedom of Information Plenary

2:30-3 p.m.
Networking break (beverages and snacks)

3-4:15 p.m.
Breakout sessions

4:15-4:45 p.m.
Final networking and goodbyes (beverages and snacks)

Follow this link to view a detailed schedule with additional information about speakers, breakout sessions and more. See complete list of speakers. Below are a selection of attendees, speakers or not, to show the variety of sectors and locales who will show up!