ST. CHARLES — A nonprofit LGBTQ+ organization here has launched a fundraising campaign for its annual festival after a major corporate sponsor dropped out.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble was Pride St. Charles County’s biggest sponsor and after multiple years of supporting the festival, the consumer goods corporation decided to drop out, the nonprofit on Thursday.
Pride St. Charles festival director Jacob Kujath said the company has been a major donor since 2018, giving more than $15,000 annually.
“They said that they are focusing funding local Prides and they remain committed to their DEI initiatives,†Kujath said, though Procter & Gamble didn’t specify which events it would support this year.
“Pride St. Charles hopes that they do give the funds to another Pride to keep the funds in our local LGBTQIA+ community, but we are sad to lose extremely needed funding that we have come to rely on through the years,†a statement from organization said.
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Procter & Gamble didn’t respond to a request for comment Friday. The company has a manufacturing plant in , one in Cape Girardeau and a mixing plant in Edwardsville, Ill.
Pride St. Charles said losing the corporate sponsorship poses a financial problem for the festival, set for June 14.
It called on locals, businesses and others to donate. Kujath said they hope to raise $50,000, which is the amount they usually see from sponsors and donors.
“We know our St. Charles County community, and beyond, will show up to help us bring this festival to life,†said Courtney O’Donnell, creative director for the nonprofit.
Pride St. Charles hosted its first event in 2015. This year, the festival, themed “These Are My Colors,†will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the St. Charles Family Arena. The event typically includes drag queen performances, local vendors, community resources, food, inflatables for children and more. There is no parade this year.
Kujath said the nonprofit is committed to keeping the event in St. Charles and not combining with other local pride events.
“We are a different demographic than metro St. Louis,†Kujath said. “St. Charles City and County face different challenges. ... We’re not going anywhere.â€
Earlier this week, St. Louis’ PrideFest announced Anheuser-Busch had decided to end its sponsorship of the annual festival downtown. That festival’s organizers also launched a .
Forbes magazine reported last week that Pride celebrations in San Francisco, New York City and Houston have also lost large chunks of funding.
Earlier this month, San Francisco Pride announced that Anheuser-Busch backed out of participating in the parade this year, as have Comcast, beverage company Diageo and wine company La Crema.
More information can be found at .
Hannah Wyman of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
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