Sunshine Fest 2026
March 15-17, 2026 • Washington, D.C.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the March 15 reception going to be held?
At SPIN, 1332 F St NW, Washington, D.C., a few blocks east of the White House, 5-7 p.m. It’s a fun gathering place featuring ping pong tables and other games. Appetizers will be provided, along with two drink tickets per person. Exhibitors, vendors, and FOI researchers will showcase their wares and studies. Your registration gets you into the March 15 mixer and the programming March 16-17.
Where are the March 16-17 events going to be held?
At the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C., the former Newseum building. We appreciate the university hosting (venue space for free). The preliminary schedule is posted, although it is subject to change. Speakers will be added to the page as they are confirmed.
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. If riding the Metro, the closest stop is the Archives-Naval Memorial-Penn Quarter station (Green or Yellow lines), a four-minute walk.
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 the main page for tips on finding an affordable hotel.
I can’t afford travel/hotel. Can you help? Or, can you waive the registration fee?
We provide a limited number of travel fellowships to speakers and state FOI coalition representatives. Unfortunately, we will not have additional funds to aid others in travel. The three plenaries will be streamed live and recorded. The registration fee is relatively low compared to most conferences, and we would make it absolutely free but it does encourage people who sign up to attend (our no-show rate last year was about 10%, which is low for most conferences).
Where can I learn more about the conference’s goals or get tips on travel, hotels and more?
Check out the main Sunshine Fest page.
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, who will be present throughout the event.
What if I have accessibility needs or dietary restrictions?
Please send a note to David Cuillier at cuillerd@ufl.edu. Also, the registration form allows the ability to submit dietary preferences and special assistance. The caterers attempt to accommodate as many tastes as possible.
Who came up with the conference programming?
We solicited session proposals from last year’s attendees and through social media and other outreach. We received 58 proposals, all excellent. Then, staff from MuckRock and the Brechner FOI Project sifted through them and narrowed the programming for the 16 breakout sessions and three plenary sessions. We would have liked to offered them all!
The programming includes three plenary sessions for all attendees (in the main theater on the first floor), and five breakout periods (in rooms on the second floor). Each breakout period will have four concurrent sessions, which won’t be recorded to allow for candor (particularly for government employees). We know that can be frustrating – so many interesting topics at the same time! The benefit is it allows for much more varied programming during the two days, increasing offerings from eight to 23. Even then, we wish we could have included more topics suggested by the FOI community.
Equally difficult was selection of speakers. We tried to find as many new voices as possible (so if you spoke last year but weren’t scheduled this year don’t take it personally!). The goal of the sessions is to engage the audience in discussion, since many of them will be as knowledgeable as the speakers. Also, we sought diversity in geography (state, federal, global), demographics, political ideology, and sector (journalism, civil society, commercial, government, law, academia, etc.). Speaker diversity is particularly challenging in the FOI community (our research shows it skews heavily toward white, male, old, affluent, educated, liberal), but part of Sunshine Fest is about opening up the tent. Freedom of information is freedom for all!
Check out 2025’s Sunshine Fest here.
Will there be a Sunshine Fest 2027?
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. We are mulling having the next one fall 2027, perhaps timed with International Right to Know Day on Sept. 28. It can be difficult for state advocates to attend in March when legislatures are at their peak activity, and Sunshine Fest can conflict with groups’ own Sunshine Week events. We also are considering trying a location more centrally located in the U.S. for 2027 (some West Coasters were reluctant to attend because of the travel). Perhaps move it around the country each year and stick to D.C. every five years, on the FOIA anniversaries. If you have thoughts, let us know (cuillierd@ufl.edu), and if you are a funder who would like to see it continue, also let us know!
Can I buy conference merchandise?
Buy T-shirts, coffee mugs, and other merchandise with the Sunshine Fest 2026 logo (above) at the Sunshine Week Store. We also have other merchandise there with the Sunshine Week logo and clever MuckRock FOI slogans. We will not sell merchandise on site, but we will hand out stickers for your laptops and water bottles, as well as hand sanitizer that reads “Sunlight is the best disinfectant”!
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! Also, follow MuckRock, which will promote the event, as well. 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 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. Bloomberg News stepped up this year with major sponsorship. Sunshine Fest also is financially supported by Skyward IT Solutions, the Coalition for Sensible Public Records Access, Armedia, Loevy & Loevy, Democracy Fund, John S. Knight Fellowships, BillTrack50 and Casepoint/OPEXUS. If you would like to be a sponsor, contact David Cuillier at cuillierd@ufl.edu.
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.
Who is working behind the scenes to make this happen?
Primary funding and organization is led by the University of Florida Brechner FOI Project, including Director David Cuillier and Coordinator Samantha Sunne, and in partnership with MuckRock and the National Freedom of Information Coalition. But FOI is a group effort. We would like to thank the following for their hard work putting this together:
- Shelley Kimball, Johns Hopkins host and researcher
- MuckRock staff for partnering in the conference, and all their amazing work
- National Freedom of Information Coalition for handling the travelship 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
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?
The Joseph L. Brechner (pronounced BRECK-ner) Freedom of Information Project is 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 our AI-based 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). We also began coordinating the national FOIA Hall of Fame in 2024 to continue honoring those who fight for federal transparency.
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!