Excited to come together with franksters new and old to gather like we never have before? Say goodbye to our typical three-day gathering in Gainesville, Fla. because in 2026, frank is coming to three different cities across the U.S. to host one-day conferences in each.
We want our gatherings to be accessible to you, as always, featuring superstar scholars, research-driven practitioners and thoughtful creators focused on what unites us as human beings – our mission of bringing people together is something that will never change.
Each city will offer its unique flavor and history to our frank fun, welcoming around 100 franksters to maintain the intimate setting our attendees value and stay true to our commitment to community building.
Why the change? During frank’s gap years, we did our homework. We want to reconvene changemakers in a way that feels right at this moment in time: closer to home, in smaller groups, around focused discussions, encouraging belonging, recognizing the challenges of the work and identifying paths forward — together.
Tell us about other ways you’d like to collaborate with us
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This frank forward event plans to include:
Montgomery, Ala. | Late Winter, Early Spring 2026
As the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, this gathering will focus on powerful storytelling and inspiration from a complex past.
West Coast U.S. City | Summer 2026
As the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, this gathering will focus on powerful storytelling and inspiration from a complex past.
TBA | Fall 2026
As the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, this gathering will focus on powerful storytelling and inspiration from a complex past.
We’re ready for frank to move forward, and we aim to connect communicators, scholars, storytellers and leaders working to better our world in a whole new way.
We’re seeking support for all elements of production that make community-building and learning possible, grounded in the sense of community possible for our field.
About frank
frank emerged to meet a need: Communities of professionals intended to make meaningful, science-driven social change possible, and they needed a space to do so – one that we materialized to fulfill this dream.
Since 2013, organizers have gathered this community to foster connections, share knowledge and build the field of public interest communications. As the field grew and the world changed, frank organizers took an intentional pause in 2024 to adjust for the community’s evolving needs.
We spoke with committed community members, and here’s what we learned:
- Community members named frank features to keep: its unpretentious atmosphere, intimate size that facilitates networking, and valuable combination of cutting-edge research, practitioner insights and engaging social events.
- They shared some barriers to engaging with the community: the difficulty of dedicating four days to the event, the financial barrier of the registration fee for some and travel complexities of reaching Gainesville.
- They shared what feels supportive now and for the foreseeable future: spending in-person time with others in a trusted community, closer-to-home activities, more affordable gatherings and nimble experiences that respond to the especially fast-changing work environment.
With this input and energy from the community, frank is back!