Capital City Pride, a big-budget pro-LGBT event in Des Moines, Iowa, faces a large loss of corporate support going into June 2025’s Pride Month festivities.
Capital City Pride could lose up to $75,000 in corporate sponsorships, the event’s executive director, Wes Mullins, told Axios. The pullback reflects a corporate trend, as businesses have reduced their participation in gay pride events during President Donald Trump’s second White House term.
Trump has cracked down on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in corporate America, specifically via an executive order he signed on the first full day of his second term.
Capital City Pride is still operating at full capacity, Axios reported. The Des Moines Register published the event’s schedule on Tuesday.
Sponsors no longer appearing on public records of the event’s sponsors include Nationwide and MidAmerican Energy, according to Axios. However, MidAmerican Energy spokesperson Geoff Greenwood told the outlet that some employees of the Des Moines-based energy company will still walk in the parade on behalf of their employer.
Companies still listed as Capital City Pride sponsors include Google, Local5ABC, Microsoft, and the Iowa Cubs — a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.
Other large companies are adjusting their involvement in pride events throughout the U.S. — scaling back their sponsorship and funding while maintaining public support. While Mastercard is not renewing its platinum-level sponsorship of the NYC Pride March in 2025, according to The Wall Street Journal, it plans to maintain a smaller presence in the New York City pro-LGBT event.
Other companies dropping their sponsorship of the NYC Pride March are PepsiCo and Nissan, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported.
The San Francisco Gay Pride Festival is similarly struggling to raise money this year as corporate sponsors back out.
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