From Fox News: The organizers of San Francisco Pride (SF Pride) shared financial concerns due to major companies pulling funding this year.
SF Pride executive director Suzanne Ford said that the show will still go on, but organizers are going to have to make do with a smaller budget. Ford expressed suspicion this was part of a wave of businesses distancing themselves from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs under the Trump administration.
“I’m very concerned. Obviously, there’s pressure from the federal government,” Ford told a local FOX affiliate.
“The tone has changed in this country. Businesses already hedge their bets, and I think people who, this isn’t their hard core value of their corporation, maybe they’re rethinking their investment,” Ford said.
SF Pride is a nonprofit that runs an annual parade and festival for two days in San Francisco. Scheduled for June 28-29, this year’s theme is “Queer Joy is Resistance.” The event is one of the largest LGBTQ+ celebrations in the world, drawing over 1 million attendees each year, according to their site.
The report notes that the overall budget for the event is $2.3 million, and the group only has $1 million committed, leaving them still scrambling to come up with another $1.3 million.
Five corporations have bailed out after years of supporting the event, resulting in a loss of $300,000 in funding. According to KTVU, the withdrawing companies include Comcast, Anheuser-Busch, Diageo, an alcoholic beverage company that makes many popular brands, including Johnny Walker and Guinness, and La Crema, a wine company owned by Jackson Family Wines.
Ford, a biological man who identifies as a woman, has been the executive director of the queer organization since February 2022.
Below is an interview with Ford, who laments the predicament of the huge drop in funding and sponsorships.
SF Pride, the nonprofit that puts on the annual parade and two-day street fair, is facing financial difficulty after a handful of corporate sponsors have pulled their financial support. https://t.co/8imJrY20Qb
— KTVU (@KTVU) March 15, 2025
In ‘very abnormal’ development, longtime sponsors bail on San Francisco Pride https://t.co/qBaIngOG5A
— SFGATE (@SFGate) March 18, 2025
CEOs are making smart business decisions that will bring their corporations into alignment with our civil rights laws and constitutional protections. Corporations need to focus on company missions and the bottom line. https://t.co/ShX5RJWDsv
— Dr. Carol M. Swain (@carolmswain) March 18, 2025
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