DENVER — Funding for the 2025 Denver Pride Parade is down 62% from last year, according to the Center on Colfax, which produces the parade.
The center said sponsors are cutting back or dropping out altogether due to rollbacks of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) budgets caused by national legislation.
Denver7 reached out to the center to talk about the drop-off in funding. No one was made available, but we did receive a statement that said in part, "When looking at organizations who sponsored Denver Pride in 2024 and returned at lower levels in 2025, on average their contributions have decreased by 62%."
The center said it has brought on new sponsors to "help lessen the gap."
"While we are disappointed at the decrease of funding or full defunding of certain sponsorships, we don't feel that calling these organizations out by name will be beneficial to our goal to call-in and educate people on the importance of our work here at The Center on Colfax. We also recognize that these decisions do not reflect the views and opinions of everyone within the organizations in question," the statement continues.
In a statement, Natalie Zanonie, interim CEO of the Center on Colfax, said, "Denver Pride is unique from other pride events of our size in that it is both entirely free to attend and serves as the biggest annual fundraiser for our local LGBTQ+ community center, The Center on Colfax. Eighty-three percent of all contributions to The Center are directed back to our community through the vital programming we offer year-round to our LGBTQ+ community free-of-charge. The decrease in funding we are experiencing puts these critical services at risk, such as mental health support, programming for our trans and gender diverse community, youth, older adults, and more.”
The center concluded its statement by saying, "We are grateful for our partners who have returned and the members of the LGBTQ+ employee resource groups who have made significant efforts to continue funding us, as this allows us to keep Denver Pride an accessible, free event for our community."
- Full statement from the Center on Colfax
Denver Pride has experienced a decrease in funding when compared to previous years for our festival, parade, and 5K. Some organizations that have participated in years past have only been able to return at lower levels of sponsorship, and others have even been unable to return entirely due to rollbacks of DEI budgets caused by national legislation.
When looking at organizations who sponsored Denver Pride in 2024 and returned at lower levels in 2025, on average their contributions have decreased by 62%. Thanks to the work of our team, we have been able to bring on new sponsors to help lessen the gap. While we are disappointed at the decrease of funding or full defunding of certain sponsorships, we don't feel that calling these organizations out by name will be beneficial to our goal to call-in and educate people on the importance of our work here at The Center on Colfax. We also recognize that these decisions do not reflect the views and opinions of everyone within the organizations in question.
"Denver Pride is unique from other pride events of our size in that it is both entirely free to attend and serves as the biggest annual fundraiser for our local LGBTQ+ community center, The Center on Colfax. Eighty-three percent of all contributions to The Center are directed back to our community through the vital programming we offer year-round to our LGBTQ+ community free-of-charge. The decrease in funding we are experiencing puts these critical services at risk, such as mental health support, programming for our trans and gender diverse community, youth, older adults, and more.” -Natalie Zanoni, Interim CEO.
We are grateful for our partners who have returned and the members of the LGBTQ+ employee resource groups who have made significant efforts to continue funding us, as this allows us to keep Denver Pride an accessible, free event for our community.
Denver's Pride parade is one of the country's largest, drawing more than a half million people each year. This year's parade is scheduled for June 29.
Denver7 has been and continues to be a proud sponsor of the Denver Pride parade.
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