Shifting the Narrative: Reframing Pride in a Year of Corporate Cutbacks

Media Relations

Our Challenge

The Center on Colfax is Colorado’s largest LGBTQ+ resource center and the host of Denver Pride, one of the largest Pride celebrations in the country. Denver Pride is also The Center on Colfax’s largest annual fundraiser, supporting year-round programs. Eighty-three cents of every Pride dollar is reinvested in The Center’s free programs, sustaining vital services for the LGBTQ+ community.

In early spring, national news broke about corporations scaling back support for Pride events in major markets like Minneapolis and San Francisco, driven by broader pullbacks in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. As media attention intensified, Denver Pride faced similar funding pressures, placing The Center in the national spotlight at a critical moment.

Barefoot PR was tasked with generating positive, mission-centered coverage for Denver Pride while navigating sensitive funding conversations and protecting long-term sponsor relationships. Complicating matters, The Center was also preparing to introduce a new CEO in the weeks leading up to Pride, requiring careful coordination of leadership messaging during a period of heightened scrutiny.

Our Solution

As national media started reaching out to The Center on Colfax following reports of Pride funding cuts in other cities, Barefoot PR worked closely with The Center team to develop a consistent media response. Messaging centered on The Center’s unique reality: Pride is their largest fundraiser for year-round services. We shared overall year-over-year funding decreases without naming individual sponsors or dollar amounts, preserving long-term partnerships while clearly communicating operational impact and activating community support.

When local outlets reached out, Barefoot PR helped shift coverage from funding losses to The Center’s impact and how individuals in the Denver community could help sustain critical services. Even amid pressure to provide more specifics, Barefoot PR and The Center remained aligned, successfully reframing the narrative toward mission, resilience and collective action.

At the same time, we supported The Center through the public announcement of its new CEO, ensuring leadership messaging reinforced the broader media strategy. The transition became a stabilizing moment in coverage, helping build trust and maintain momentum for individual fundraising to help bridge the funding gap.

By the time Denver Pride weekend started, The Center on Colfax had nearly closed the funding shortfall, with media attention focused on celebration and community. The new CEO appeared on all four local TV stations (CBS Colorado, 9News, Denver7 and Fox 31), and Barefoot PR assisted with the production of a dedicated 30-minute special with Denver Pride’s 2025 media sponsor, Denver7. We also managed press credentials for the festival and fielded media requests throughout Pride weekend, securing coverage across local and national outlets.