Savannah Pride Center seeks community support as corporate sponsors withdraw $30,000 in recent weeks

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -Savannah’s 26th annual Pride Festival is facing a significant funding challenge after several corporate sponsors withdrew their support in recent weeks.

The Savannah Pride Center has lost about $30,000 in sponsorship funding, according to Michael Bell, executive director of the organization. The yearly event typically brings people from across the southeast and beyond to celebrate love and acceptance within the LGBTQ+ community.

“$18,000 is really our base amount of cost for Pride and for the big ball that we throw the weekend before. So that’s the issue. Now we’re out that amount of money,” Bell said.

The Savannah Pride festival relies largely on corporate sponsorships for funding. Bell said he doesn’t believe the sponsor withdrawals are the result of homophobia, but rather corporate budget cuts.

“Corporations are cutting their budgets. It’s the last quarter. So, we’re seeing that cut in the last quarter... It’s going to affect us very badly,” Bell said.

The funding loss threatens not only this year’s Pride celebrations but also the resources the LGBTQ+ center provides to the community, including free HIV testing, mental and behavioral healthcare, and other services.

Despite the financial challenges, Bell said the organization will not reduce its programming or services.

“We can’t cut programming. There’s such a need for what we do, and we have such a large community here to serve...But closing our doors or limiting what we already offer is not on the table,” Bell said.

The Savannah Pride Center serves the LGBTQ+ community throughout Georgia and beyond. Bell said the organization is now focusing on rallying community support and providing celebration for the LGBTQ+ community during these challenging times.

If you’d like to donate to the Savannah Pride Center, click here.