Click here to register for HRFN’s Funding Futures Festival.

See registration rates and categories here. 

The registration fee covers admission to all Festival activities, starting Monday 17 May and concluding Friday 21 May 2027. 

Registration covers select meals: Monday night reception, daily lunches Tuesday through Friday, and one or two hosted dinners. 

Accommodation is not included in registration. 

Participants will have the option of free airport transportation and between the two hotels. See Accommodations for more details.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. If you don’t receive the email, please check your spam folder. For further assistance, please email conference@hrfn.org.

HRFN’s Festival is open to all HRFN members.

Non-HRFN members may attend if they fit the following criteria:

1. Foundation/funding institutions: Representatives from organizations that make grants as a primary program area. This might include:
   • Grantmaking institutions, such as private foundations, corporate foundations, family foundations, public foundations, community foundations, donor-advised funds, collaborative funds, governmental funding entities, and operating foundations
   • Philanthropic consultancy, support, advisory, or hosting organizations
   • Grantmaker affinity groups and networks
2. Individuals whose work focuses on resourcing human rights and funding will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Individuals can attend if their work focuses on resourcing human rights movements. This may include consultants, practitioners, or individual donors, but does not extend to resource mobilization staff within non-funder organizations. Registration for individuals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 

HRFN’s Festival is a funder space. Movement and civil society organizations are not eligible to register for the Festival, unless they are invited to contribute to accepted sessions hosted by eligible funders. Movement and civil society participants who are invited to contribute to a funder-led session are eligible to attend the full Festival. 

Where funders are inviting movement partners as part of a session, those partners should register under the same category as the funder (member or non-member). HRFN does not provide sponsorships for movement or civil society organizations and the solidarity registration rate is not applicable, as it is specifically for foundations from the Global South with budgets under $250,000 and new or emerging funds.

No, the Festival is a non-solicitation space.

Ten is the maximum number of representatives per organization who can attend. If you’d like to register more please contact HRFN at conference@hrfn.org.

While HRFN hopes to bring a broad range of participants, we are not able to provide additional funding for session leads. 

HRFN doesn’t offer discounts for session presenters and speakers.

Cancellations received before 1 May 2027 will be fully refunded, less a $100 USD cancellation fee. Cancellations received after 2 May 2027 will not be eligible for a refund. Registrations can be canceled online through Whova.

Yes. Registrations can also be transferred to another person from the same organization, at no additional cost. Please email HRFN at conference@hrfn.org to transfer your registration.

If you cannot secure a travel visa in time, you will receive a full refund. Cancellations can be made through Whova. Please also send a refund request to conference@hrfn.org.

HRFN strives to enable global participation and can provide direct visa support to participants, including visa letters, as is possible. 

During registration, you will have the option to receive visa support from HRFN’s team. If you select this option, our team will follow up directly. 

Please note that South Africa will only issue visas three months prior to an event or conference. In order to submit an application in a timely manner, please take the following steps as soon as possible:

1. Review the list of countries NOT required to have a visa for entry to South Africa. If your country is not required to have a visa, your passport will need to have validity for six months after your departure date from South Africa.
2. If your country is required to have a visa, review the South African visa requirements at the official government site.
3. If a visa is required: 
   • Determine if you can apply for an e-visa here. Gather the appropriate documents and begin your application online. 
   • Certain countries require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which is different from an e-visa. Countries are regularly being added to this list; please review the notice on this website and apply for an ETA here.
   • If you are not eligible to apply for an e-visa, contact the South Africa Consulate or Embassy in your country of residence or the nearest neighboring country to determine next steps and timelines. 

In the event that an individual cannot secure a travel visa in time, they will receive a full refund. Cancellations can be made through Whova. Please also send a refund request to conference@hrfn.org.

Check here to see if your organization is a member and if your membership is up to date. Eligible organizations that are not members can join and receive retroactive member rates for the festival once their membership has been finalized. 

To renew your HRFN membership dues, please visit the Membership Dues Status page here. Please fill out the form at the end of the page. Our team will follow up within three days with an invoice and instructions on processing the payment.

We recommend taking a moment to familiarize yourself with the HRFN membership criteria to confirm that your institution meets the requirements. Once you’ve reviewed and ensured that your institution fulfills the requirements, please proceed to complete the HRFN membership application form. After submitting the form, expect a follow-up from our team within a week with the outcome of your application.

If your membership application is pending, we recommend using the normal rate during the registration process. Upon acceptance, we will promptly refund the difference between the non-member rate and member rate. 

Hotel accommodation is not included in the registration fee. Please see our Accommodations page for more information on hotels and HRFN discounts at Indaba Hotel, Spa & Conference Centre (HRFN discount through 28 February 2027) and City Lodge Hotel Fourways (HRFN discount through 31 January 2027). 

HRFN’s Funding Futures Festival strives to center access. All our venues have wheelchair access, and we will ensure the spaces are accessible for all abilities.

The registration form gives you the opportunity to share more information on your accessibility needs. If you have additional questions, please contact conference@hrfn.org. You can read more about accessibility on our Access & Safety page.

Childcare will be available from Monday evening to Friday afternoon upon request. Please indicate your childcare needs when you register.  

Applications for the Call for Proposals can be submitted in English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish. You will have the opportunity to identify session lead/speaker language(s) in your proposals for Action Labs and Lightning Talks.

Simultaneous interpretation for English, French, and Spanish, as well as closed captioning in English will be available for all plenaries and provided to support full participation throughout the Festival. Simultaneous interpretation into other languages available based on demand, please contact our team at conference@hrfn.org to make a request. 

You can read more about types of programming on the Program page, but the Festival will include plenaries, Action Labs, an Open Gallery, Site Visits, and other programs.

There are four thematic tracks: climate, technology, democracy and civic space, and an open track. You can read more about them on the Program page.

Visit our Call for Proposals page to learn more about what types of sessions you can submit and how to submit a proposal. You may submit proposals through 15 November 2026.

Organizations can submit proposals for more than one session or session type. However, between Lightning Talks and Action Labs, organizations can participate in no more than four session proposals. Open Gallery submissions are open to all participants, regardless of their other submissions.

Yes. We welcome sessions in more than one track.

Session leads will select a primary track to establish the main focus of their conversation. However, applicants are encouraged to explicitly highlight track linkages (e.g., a session at the intersection of climate resilience and digital rights) or, where there is not a direct link with other tracks, to submit ideas to the open track.

Yes, presenting reports or current work is invited for the Open Gallery. This is a lively curated exhibition space for sharing ideas, resources, reports, and visuals. 

Action Labs should be interactive and as tech-free as possible, which is why we will provide an easel and flipchart for every accepted Action Lab. For Open Galleries, you can indicate on the CFP form if you need a monitor or screen. Beyond that, we ask session leads to bring any other materials their session requires, such as markers, Post-its, tape, scissors, etc.