Seattle Pride faces $350,000 budget shortfall as corporate sponsorship pull out
Apr 15, 2025, 8:14 AM
Attendees and marchers on the streets of downtown Seattle for the 40th Annual Seattle Pride Parade. (Photo: Suzi Pratt, FilmMagic)
(Photo: Suzi Pratt, FilmMagic)
Seattle Pride is dealing with a $350,000 budget shortfall after it lost several corporate sponsorships. The organization believes the pullout of sponsorships came from DEI rollbacks, political attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, saving money amid a turbulent forecasted economy, and the recent installation of the new Trump administration.
A shorter parade and more sponsored events could be in store for Seattle Pride if it can’t shore up this budget deficit.
To combat the shortfall, Seattle Pride is pivoting its fundraising strategy to lean on individual donations and grants more. The organization is asking for community donations to help cover a $350,000 budget deficit.
Seattle Pride organizers are also going to do more investigating into a sponsor’s political donations and lobbying activities before bringing them on board to prevent this pullout from happening in the future.
Other Pride events outside of Seattle also affected
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Other Pride organizations across the country have been similarly impacted. Smaller, rural Pride events and showcases are down 70% to 90% in funding compared to the average year, Eve Keller, co-president of USA Prides, told NBC News. Some Pride events claimed they’ve been “ghosted” by longtime corporate partners.
Last year was the 50th anniversary of LGBTQIA2S+ Pride celebrations in Seattle.
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