Sunshine Week 2026 materials now available

Mar 1, 2026

Sunshine Week, set for March 15-21, 2026, is a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, education, government and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government.

During Sunshine Week and in the days leading up to Sunshine Week, newspapers typically emphasize the need for open government and freedom of information. Sunshine Week is an opportunity to highlight and amplify efforts to ensure government transparency and accountability.

Sunshine Week occurs each year in mid-March, coinciding with James Madison’s birthday, March 16 (1751). Madison was a driving force behind the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and presented the first version of the Bill of Rights to Congress. He also was the fourth president of the United States.

Coordinated by the nonpartisan Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, Sunshine Week helps educate the public, journalists, lawmakers and others on the right to know in the states and federal government.

Sunshine Week provides materials for publication, encourages year-round collaboration among more than 100 partners, hosts an in-person Sunshine Fest conference, highlights the effective use of public records by engaged citizens, showcases freedom of information events and provides fun activities and other resources.

Sunshine Week is funded in part through an endowment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as well as endowments held by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, as part of its land-grant university mission to educate journalists and the public about their rights to civic information.

The Knight Foundation supports democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once had newspapers.

If you would like to get involved with Sunshine Week, contact Brechner FOI Project Director David Cuillier at cuillierd@ufl.edu.

Find out more about Sunshine Week, find a downloadable guest column about Sunshine Week 2026 from the WNA website, and access the 2026 Sunshine Week toolkit here: https://bit.ly/3ZPuARn