Membership

Science Festival Alliance Membership is Evolving...

It is likely that the Science Festival Alliance will continue to include many of the benefits and opportunities described below, and will continue to stand up for the unique strategic opportunities of the festival format. In 2024 we shifted our attention towards getting a new individual membership program up and running at science.events. Every individual affiliated with a science festival is encouraged to start there. Over the course of 2015, we will be reaching out to science festival organizers for a conversation about what the Science Festival Alliance's next shape could be.

If you are wondering what that future looks like, please contact us, and read on to see a bit about what it looked like in the past:

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Science Festival Alliance membership lets you join an international conversation among dozens of established and emerging science and technology festivals of all sizes. Member organizations generously share knowledge, resources, and contacts to help new festivals get off the ground and existing festivals expand and deepen their impact.

SFA member festivals pay no dues. Instead, they commit to active participation in initiatives that support our shared goals and further public science events. They also commit to maintaining an up-to-date public presence in our Festival Directory. 

Individual practitioners who are affiliated with a festival can create a profile and opt in to our Associates Directory.

Questions? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch if you’re considering membership for an emerging or existing festival.

Benefits

Networking opportunities: Don’t go it alone! Chances are that no one else at your organization produces a STEM festival. Through the SFA, you can connect, collaborate, and commiserate with a supportive community of science festival professionals.

SFA meetups and news: Stay in touch and up to date. We organize virtual SFA meetings throughout the year and an annual in-person Science Events Summit and regularly share updates and news about the science event sector.

Access to resources: SFA members are collaborators, not competitors. We work hard to maintain a spirit of trust and generosity so that all members feel comfortable sharing inspiration, advice, and contacts.

Exposure and promotion: Get noticed! We highlight SFA members in social media updates and our regular newsletter and include them in strategic conversations with peer organizations and funding bodies.

A platform for collaboration: With membership comes the potential to participate in multi-festival projects and seek joint funding opportunities. Members can connect with colleagues in the SFA Forum to initiate their own projects and festival working groups.

Eligibility

Any organization that produces festivals and public outreach initiatives dedicated primarily to science, technology, engineering, and/or math can become an SFA member. Most SFA member organizations run multi-day, multi-venue festivals that rally many collaborators and stakeholders and directly involve STEM practitioners in public outreach.

Membership isn’t a legal or exclusive contract, an endorsement of quality, or a certification. All member organizations remain independently organized and participation in specific SFA initiatives is never mandatory.

View our Festival Map and Directory to find more than 50 member organizations across the US and Canada that have already become part of the SFA network.

We’re here to help you launch, grow, and network. Please get in touch with us if you’re thinking about joining.