Corporate sponsors are backing away from LGBTQ+ Pride organizations

Source: CNBC

Published Sun, Apr 27 2025 8:00 AM EDT


Companies that were once loud and proud in supporting LGBTQ+ community celebrations are pulling back.

LGBTQ+ Pride festivals across the country have faced significant sponsorship challenges this year, with some losing corporate partners that collectively provided six-figure donations. As a result, organizations say they’ve had to modify their programming, pivot to other funding sources and reconsider their dependencies on corporate dollars.

Many companies have cited economic concerns as their impetus to delay or exit partnerships with Pride groups. But LGBTQ+ group leaders also noted an increasingly hostile climate for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that has prompted some businesses to rethink their support. In turn, Pride organizations are seeking clarity on how much their values still align with those of their corporate contributors.

“For this many companies to be dropping off, I think, points to that we’re in a different political environment than we have been maybe in a long, long time,” San Francisco Pride executive director Suzanne Ford told CNBC.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/27/companies-lgbtq-pride-festivals.html