Pride celebrations struggle as corporate sponsorships dry up
Lyndsey Sickler, one of Pittsburgh Pride organizers. Hannah Frances Johansson hide caption toggle caption Hannah Frances Johansson PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Pride celebrations across the country continue to lose out on large sponsorships as corporations, a key source of funding, shrink their affiliation with diversity causes and LGBTQ+ events. Corporate sponsorships of celebrations in several cities, including New York City, Salt Lake City, Louisville, St. Louis, Orlando, and Pittsburgh are down from previous years, organizers said. Jordan Braxton, co-president of the United States Association of Prides, which supports Pride celebrations nationwide, said that while some smaller Prides have seen a growth in sponsorships, a majority have seen a reduction. She said the Trump administration's dismantling of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, has scared corporations away from sponsoring Pride celebrations. "I think that's why some of the corporations have pulled back, because they don't want that government scrutiny," she said. In his first days in office in 2025, Trump issued presidential actions targeting DEI within the federal government and encouraging the private sector to end what the administration considers "illegal DEI discrimination and preferences." In Pittsburgh, Pride organizers are trying to make up for lost sponsorships in time for their festival and parade in early June. "It takes a lot of money to do this," said Dena Stanley, director of Pittsburgh Pride. "Permittings costs, security costs, headliners costs, staging costs, cleaning crew costs, insurance costs, all of these are expenses." Pittsburgh Pride organizers think it will secure 30-40% of the sponsorship dollars they were able to fundraise a few years ago. To narrow the gap, the group said they received a state grant and solicited individual donations. Dena Stanley, director of Pittsburgh Pride. Hannah Frances Johansson. hide caption toggle caption Hannah Frances Johansson. E Ciszek, who researches advertising and public relations at The University of Texas at Austin, said the downturn in corporate sponsorships is happening amid a movement against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and the "attack on trans rights, in particular." "I think this is not just a matter of budget cuts, right?" Ciszek said. "It's important to take a step back and see this more as a moment of risk, a moment of political pressure, and looking really at the limits of corporate allyship, particularly when LGBTQ visibility has become really politically costly." Corporations, she said, are calculating the risk of public support for Pride, which could expose them to litigation, political retaliation or consumer boycotts. "What once was [an] organizational asset, has now become an organizational risk," Ciszek said. Lyndsey Sickler, another Pittsburgh Pride organizer, described Pride celebrations as empowering for LGBTQ+ people who live in communities where they feel scrutinized for their identity. For some people, it's their first time being in, "a space that is actively, loudly celebrating everything that is us," Sickler said. "Nothing else matters at that point." Less sponsorship money can also impact year-round events and resources for the LGBTQ+ community. "People sometimes look at Pride festivals just as a big party, which they are, but they're also resource fairs, job fairs, and we also use it as a fundraising event," said Braxton of the United States Association of Prides. In Florida, Tampa Pride announced a one-year hiatus after a slew of corporations dropped their sponsorships, said Carrie West, who ran the organization. "All of a sudden, bingo. Here you have no money, no grant money, no supporting money, to make operations, to plan, to get any kind of anything," he said. "Oh my gosh, it was, it's devastating."
