Nashville Pride moving forward with 2026 festival after raising $145K
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The Nashville Pride parade in June. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Nashville Pride announced this week it had made significant strides toward filling a budget shortfall created when multiple companies and nonprofits backed away from the LGBTQ+ festival last June.
Why it matters: Leaders with Nashville Pride said they had raised enough money to continue their work, including organizing the city's annual Pride festival.
By the numbers: Since launching the Save Nashville Pride campaign in August, the organization has raised about $145,000. The group said that total came from nearly 1,000 individual donors.
Yes, but: That is still far short of the group's goal of raising $250,000 by Oct. 11.
- Even so, there was enough "momentum to move forward" with planning for the 2026 festival, per a statement from the group.
What they're saying: "Community builds community," the Nashville Pride board said in the statement. "The funds raised will help sustain our historic festival and ensure Nashville's LGBTQ+ community continues to have a space to be authentically and vulnerably themselves."
Between the lines: The announcement came after a benefit concert last weekend.
The big picture: Pride groups nationwide have faced budget turmoil this year as longtime corporate allies withdrew their support and funding. The trend was fueled by the Trump administration's fierce opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Catch up quick: Nashville Pride announced its $250,000 budget gap for the 2025 festival after losing support from previous sponsors including Nissan, Dollar General and Cracker Barrel.
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which typically provided medical services at the festival, backed out a few weeks beforehand, forcing organizers to pay for a new provider on short notice.
What's next: Organizers will adapt the festival to reflect a future with less corporate support and a potentially hostile political climate.
- Nashville Pride plans to meet with LGBTQ+ residents across the region to "reimagine what Pride can look like in the years ahead."