As corporate support for NYC Pride scales back, independent queer artists and organizers are stepping up to celebrate community, culture, and joy. Here’s how to support their work.
Pride has always been more than a parade — it’s protest, party, and personal revolution all rolled into one. But as corporate sponsors pull back from NYC’s official Pride celebrations, a new wave of grassroots creators is stepping up to fill the gap.
From theater and film to radical rituals and queer Muslim visibility, these five projects embody the spirit of Pride: DIY, defiant, and deeply community-rooted. They’re all raising funds right now, and every donation helps keep queer voices center stage this June.
6 Independent LGBT Projects to Support in NYC
Below are five projects by creators asking for help through GoFundMe to bring their projects, which reflect queer culture, history, and joy, to life in New York City this June.
Mercutio: A Musical Concept reimagines Romeo & Juliet through a queer lens and a genre-blending score. Selected for PRIDEFEST at The Tank, this original work centers queer identity and demands a stage of its own. Creators Gregor Patti and Easton Michaels are raising funds to cover rehearsal space, stipends, and development costs.
Muslim Pride NYC will mark a historic first – a weekend of queer Muslim visibility with programming at both The Stonewall Inn and The LGBT Center. Featuring 25+ performers, the organizers are committed to paying artists and are seeking support to cover venue, crew, and accessibility costs.
Boutonnière, by Cael Sullivan, explores the complexities of queer love and marriage on the eve of a gay wedding. The intimate two-hander, staged at The Brooklyn Center For Theater Research, is led by a diverse team asking for help with costumes, props, and promotion.
What Pride Means to You is a short film from a NYC-based artist capturing personal messages and stories about the impact of Pride in today’s political climate. Funds will cover studio space, interview fees, and equipment rentals.
Brooklyn Radical Faeries’ Summer Solstice Gatherette began during the pandemic when the NYC Radical Faeries gathered in Prospect Park, planting a tree and a vision: a queer sanctuary in the city. On June 20-22, they plan to host a weekend of ritual, performance, shared meals, and joy. Donations will cover venue space, food, decor, and accessibility. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Halo Bar, Lounge, Nightclub and Event Space was opened in 2023 and is one of only two LGBTQ+ venues on all of Long Island, New York. Due to a licensing delay that prevented them from opening for six months, the Halo bar and club fell behind financially and now faces eviction just weeks before their largest Pride event. The LGBTQ space is trying to raise $18,000 to help cover past rent and keep the space alive in Nassau County.
If you’re wondering how to make Pride more meaningful this year — this is it. Support queer artists. Fund community joy. Share these links. Show up where the sponsors won’t. Pride started in the streets, and it still lives there — messy, magical, and unapologetically queer.
You can browse more fundraisers and support LGBTQ+ creators on GoFundMe’s Uplift LGBTQ+ Lives hub.