The future of Nashville Pride is uncertain as organizers face a more than $300,000 shortfall year-over-year in corporate giving and volunteers.
Nearly 40% of the festival’s long-time sponsors withdrew support this year, some just days before the event in late June.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center had volunteered to staff a medical tent for the event but cancelled one month beforehand, costing the cash-strapped festival a surprise $32,000. Rainy weather also hampered attendance at a time when organizers planned to expand from two days of concerts to three.
Nashville Pride’s financial situation mirrors a nationwide trend in decreased giving to LGBTQ organizations. While giving to non-profits is down across the board, Brady Ruffin, Secretary of Nashville Pride’s Board of Directors, sa