Iowa Pride events are losing some corporate and local sponsorships this year, echoing a national trend fueled by political pressure from the Trump administration to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
But organizers of Pride events Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Iowa City say other businesses, including large corporations, have increased their support, meaning their events will continue without changes this year.
In Des Moines, Capital City Pride's PrideFest, which begins Friday, is estimated to have lost nearly $70,000 in sponsorships. Long-time supporters Nationwide and MidAmerican Energy are both missing from the organization's list of 2025 sponsors.
But Capital City Pride Executive Director Wes Mullins said the organization has gained back $80,000 - $90,000 of that lost support. The organization's annual gala saw an increased number of individual donations. Grant funding is covering some costs. Other major sponsors doubled down this year rather than stepping back, including Google.
"The gap created by the corporate sponsorships that did withdraw or reduce was made up across the board from all sources of income and more, so our total is actually just a little bit higher than last year," Mullins emphasized.
Iowa City Pride reported losing around $15,000 for its celebration that starts later this month, including support from the University of Iowa, Iowa Health Care and Integrated DNA Technologies.
Iowa City Pride Treasurer and Development Director Anne Ehlinger said local businesses stepped up and helped the organization make most of the lost money back.
"Especially after this year, having the three big sponsors drop out, seeing the rest of the community rally gives me so much hope and makes me feel safe in the community we live in," she said. "We've been able to raise almost just as much without the three biggest employers in town — it's pretty amazing to me."
While confident in Iowa City Pride's savings built up from years past, and grateful for the additional lift by area businesses, Ehlinger said the uncertainty about future funding is "a little bit more real these days."
"There's an ebb and flow," said Cedar Rapids Pride President Corey Jacobson. "Sometimes you take two steps forward and one step back, and unfortunately, we're seeing that step back right now."
Jacobson declined to name the corporate sponsors who have pulled out of this year's CR Pride event beginning July 12, but said the total losses amount to around a 10% and 15% decrease in sponsorship dollars. Still, he said the amount made back from increased support from existing sponsors and individual donors will cover most of the lost funds.
"I would say by the end of the year, it's going to be flat, maybe a little bit below where we need to be right now," Jacobson said. "But with some things coming up that we have planned, and continued community support, I feel like we'll be in a good place as we round out our our fiscal year."
The organizers remain invigorated. They expect a record turnout at their events this month, citing political shifts, both federally and locally, that have stirred LGBTQ Iowans and allies to turn out in droves at other events, including Des Moines' Trans Lives Festival earlier in the spring. Ehlinger said Iowa City Pride has more parade participants signed up this year than the organization has ever seen. Mullins says the number of runners participating in the event's annual 5K jumped from 500 to 750. Vendor booth space sold out for the very first time.
"We are seeing that people are passionate about showing that this matters," Mullins said. "And so they're showing up in all the ways that they can."
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This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. June 6 to include comments from Cedar Rapids Pride.
