Michael P. McDonald

In the last several years, we have grown accustomed to every major corporation spewing rainbows to mark the beginning of June as the corporate elites fell over themselves to genuflect at the altar of Pride. In a blatant disregard for consumer sentiment, major brands force down our throats support for this disordered lifestyle.

But, in 2025, there is a growing corporate retreat from Pride parades across the country, resulting in budget shortfalls. While it might not be a full on cultural realignment, the momentum is shifting. This is the natural progression of the backlash against Bud Light and Target that began in 2023.

Although many parade organizers attempt to blame this shifting momentum on external factors. Some point to President Trump’s anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies and a turbulent economic environment caused by the “trade war.” Others insist that they still have support—it’s just that the corporations do not want to be as visible. A few with false bravado claim they were the ones who actually dumped the corporate sponsors because they were never really “allies” to begin with. However, this is clearly happening because Americans of faith, who adhere to traditional values, and are firmly tethered to reality, have flexed their economic muscles pushing back on the corporations that endorse this hedonism.

Below are several examples of the shifting momentum:

Washington, D.C. (June 7)

  • For many years, Booz Allen Hamilton sponsored the Capital Pride Alliance’s activities, serving as one of the chief corporate sponsors as well as fielding several floats in the parade. For instance, Booz Allen contributed $75,000 in 2024. However, just days after Booz Allen rescinded its DEI initiative, it also ended sponsorship of the parade.

Salt Lake City (June 8)

  • Organizers of the Utah Pride admit that they have lost about $400,000 in sponsorships, approximately half of the event’s budget. The organizers, however, have declined to name which sponsors have withdrawn their support.

Columbus (June 14)

Houston (June 28)

  • The parade currently has a $100,000 sponsorship funding gap. Typically, the parade costs between $500,000 and $800,000 each year.
  • In addition to the sponsorship funding gap, many sponsors have decided that they do not wish to be associated with the parade. According to Kendra Walker, a former president of Pride Houston, “so far this year, some have outright said they don’t want the backlash or the negative attention” that comes with publically sponsoring the festivities.

Denver (June 29)

  • Sponsorship for the Denver Pride Parade has fallen by nearly two-thirds, resulting in a $230,000 gap in the events budget. Although the parade organizers are refusing to list the sponsors, this silence, coupled with the devastating budgetary figures that have been made available, suggest the event is struggling.

New York (June 29)

  • Overall, the New York Pride Parade is facing a $750,000 deficit.
  • The highest level of sponsorship, platinum, costs $175,000. In 2024, the New York Pride Parade had five platinum sponsors. Of these five, three have withdrawn their support for the 2025 parade. These are Grainer, Mastercard, and Skyy Vodka. Target was listed as a platinum sponsor in 2024, but this year it does not appear as a sponsor of the parade. However, according to the parade organizers, Target will continue to support the parade but wishes not to be publically associated with the event. Even with Target’s clandestine support, and L’Oreal, the sole returning public sponsor from last year, and a new sponsorship from Deutsche Bank, the New York Pride Parade has a $350,000 shortfall compared to last year among platinum sponsors.
  • Lower tiered sponsors that have withdrawn their support include Citi, Nissan, PepsiCo, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
  • Approximately one third of last year’s sponsors either cancelled their contributions or donated at significantly lower levels. The event organizers fear that this will lead to further diminishing support in the years to come.

San Francisco (June 29)

St. Louis (June 29)

  • Anheuser-Busch ended its partnership of over 30 years with the St. Louis Pride Parade. This has resulted in a $150,000 loss for the event.

Seattle (June 29)

  • Seattle Pride announced it has a $350,000 shortfall in its budget for its parade as some corporate sponsors have withheld their support for the event.
  • To fill this gap, parade organizers turned to crowd sourcing with the initial goal of raising $300,000. However a week later, Seattle Pride’s GoFundMe stated the group was aiming for a more modest goal of $75,000. As of May 29, the crowd sourcing campaign had only received 109 donations, totaling $13,350 or roughly 18 percent of what they hope to raise.
Print 🖨