Organizers have warned that the loss of sponsors will pose operational challenges for Pride Toronto that attracts 3 million attendees annually.
Google told the newspaper it would be supporting “Toronto Googlers” marching in the parade and “community moments” from Pride.
The sudden exit of Google and Home Depot follows the departure in February of three other prominent sponsors.
Sui said that the chill around sponsors for pride events has also affected New York City and Philadelphia.
For the future, Pride Toronto and other pride events may need to rely more significantly on grassroots efforts to keep events going, she said.
Just weeks before the festival, Pride Toronto unexpectedly lost two more major corporate sponsors, dealing another blow to one of the biggest celebrations of LGTBQ+ people in North America. The festival organizers say this setback is directly related to Donald Trump’s campaign to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the US.
According to Kojo Modeste, executive director of the Canadian event, Google and Home Depot both sent one-line emails announcing their intentions to drop the festival.
Pride Toronto, which draws three million people a year, has warned that the loss of sponsors will present operational difficulties. While local trade unions and other organizations have stepped up to help cover the shortfall, Modeste told the Guardian that he was extremely concerned about the celebration’s future.
“This is not the place that I want to be in,” he said, “Am I going to have to drastically cut what the festival looks like for 2026?”.
According to Home Depot, which regularly examines its non-profit donations, it has chosen not to make a contribution this year, the Guardian reported. Google informed the newspaper that it would stand by “Toronto Googlers” participating in the Pride parade and “community moments.”.
Google and Home Depot’s abrupt departure comes after three other well-known sponsors left in February. On Friday, Modeste disclosed that they were Clorox, Adidas, and Nissan, although he had not named them at the time.
A “local decision” that Nissan Canada claims was based on a reassessment of marketing and media efforts prevented it from sponsoring Pride in Toronto. We’ve contacted Clorox and Adidas for comments.
Modeste asserted that these American companies were displaying their true nature. We believed they were part of the community, but it’s obvious they’re not. “”.
In addition to paying employees, corporate sponsorship supports hundreds of local artists and ensures Pride remains a free event.
Since he was raised before the widespread celebration of Pride, Modeste stated that he did not want the younger generations of today to go through that. The decision to remove Pride from the community is something I don’t want to have to make myself,” he stated.
Sui Sui, a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University who specializes in DEI initiatives, said that corporations have shied away from festivals that they previously enthusiastically supported as a result of the White House’s denunciation of diversity and inclusion initiatives.
According to Sui, this action also shows that previous pledges from major sponsors were flimsy and driven more by the apparent financial gain of supporting such causes than by sincere support.
Tens of thousands of people have been fired as a result of the Trump administration’s months-long purge of US federal government employees, including those who worked to advance diversity and equity initiatives.
According to Sui, New York City and Philadelphia have also been impacted by the embarrassment surrounding pride event sponsors. Major sponsors like Mastercard, Nissan, Pepsi, Garnier, and others have withdrawn from the New York celebration, and Philadelphia Union and Target have left Philly Pride 365.
“Canada is doing the same,” she stated.
According to her, Pride Toronto and other pride events may have to depend more heavily on grassroots initiatives in the future to continue.
That’s so they can see who genuinely thinks pride is important. “”.
