Grassroots to the Rescue? Pride Toronto Shifts Focus Amidst Sponsor Losses

With major corporate sponsors Google and Home Depot having pulled out, and Nissan, Adidas, and Clorox already gone, Pride Toronto may need to shift its focus to grassroots efforts to survive. Organizers blame Donald Trump’s anti-DEI campaign for the significant financial void.
Kojo Modeste, executive director of Pride Toronto, described the one-line emails from Google and Home Depot as abrupt and indicative of a sudden change in corporate alignment. The loss of these crucial sponsorships means a substantial impact on the festival’s ability to pay staff, support local artists, and keep the event free for its three million annual attendees.
Modeste expressed deep worry about the potential necessity of “drastically cut[ting] what the festival looks like for 2026,” a move that would fundamentally alter the experience of Pride for many. He fears losing the accessibility that has become a hallmark of the celebration.
Professor Sui Sui of Toronto Metropolitan University, a DEI expert, suggests that this crisis could force Pride events to become more reliant on community support. She notes that the current political climate is revealing which corporations genuinely believe in the importance of Pride versus those motivated by less altruistic reasons.