Thank you for visiting this page to learn more about how you can help us continue our work to make Indiana a more welcoming place for ALL people.
Spencer Pride is a 100% volunteer-powered 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization serving rural south-central Indiana.
Spencer Pride runs an LGBTQ+ community center, supports the Iris Youth Group, coordinates the Spencer Pride Festival, and provides significant outreach to the community.
- We educate the public about rural lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, & queer (LGBTQ+) people and issues.
- We provide a voice for the LGBTQ+ community to help foster an environment where opportunity are not limited simply because of one's gender expression, sexual orientation, or related perceptions of the same.
- We welcome everyone to join us as we continue to cultivate a community of compassion and celebration for all people.
Our commUnity center
The commUnity center serves as headquarters of Spencer Pride’s programs and educational efforts. It also houses Unity, our distinctive retail shop showcasing local artists and craftspeople. Within the center, our Gathering Place is available for informal discussions and after-school activities, while our meeting room is available free of charge to local, LGBTQ+ affirming, not-for-profit organizations. The center is a certified Safe Place & LGBTQ+ Safe Zone. We offer public access to Wi-Fi, computers, and gender-neutral restrooms.
The commUnity center is home to Iris, our youth group for ages 10-19. The youth meet regularly to socialize and support one another. The members are highly motivated to make the world a better place and conduct activities to educate & engage other youth and the public at-large.
Our center is located at 17 E. Franklin Street in downtown Spencer in a historic building we are renovating. Over the next few years, with funding from generous donors like you, we will continue to transform our facility so that all of its 8,100+ ft2 can be utilized to support our mission.
Our Festival
The Spencer Pride Festival is an admission-free LGBTQ+ pride festival that takes place around Main Street in Spencer, Indiana. The festival provides a family-friendly and inclusive atmosphere in a small town setting. The Spencer Pride Festival is the largest rural LGBTQ+ Pride event in the state! More than 6,700 people attended in 2022.
The Spencer Pride Festival will take place on Saturday, October 7, 2023. In recent years, the Festival has been growing dramatically in numbers of events, booths, and public participation.
For opportunities to financially support the festival, click here.
Sponsorship Opportunities
We are requesting financial support from you in order to continue offering vital services to our community. You can provide much needed support by becoming a Spencer Pride sponsor. Your funding will be used to support our center, youth, or our well-known and well-respected annual festival, depending on your designation. Sponsor recognition varies with the level of support you provide.
Please contact us to become a sponsor. You can reach us via e-mail at Jonathan@SpencerPride.org. If you can visit, we will welcome you at our commUnity center to see our space and operations and discuss the opportunities that you can help to make a reality.
On behalf of the Spencer Pride Board of Directors and our dynamic volunteers, I thank you for considering supporting our efforts to make Indiana a more welcoming place for ALL people.
Jonathan A. Balash, President
Does your company match?
Each sponsorship level can be designated to support one of our key program areas: commUnity center, youth programming, or Spencer Pride Festival, except for the Rainbow level which is overarching. To become a sponsor, review the sponsorship levels & select the program on which you want to focus. All sponsors, at all levels, receive our sincere gratitude in addition to the tangible benefits highlighted.
Festival Sponsorship Opportunities
A variety of specific sponsor opportunities are available to support our festival. These sponsorship opportunities are limited in availability & some benefits are time-sensitive. If you are interested in any of the opportunities below, please contact us immediately. Opportunities are listed in order of value, from highest to lowest.
- Category Sponsorship ($2,000) – available once per year per category (see list below). The sponsor is recognized through signage located near the associated activities & is referred to as the “Official sponsor of the Spencer Pride Festival.” Sponsor receives complimentary premium booth space in festival marketplace. Sponsor name is included in all festival press releases. Sponsor logo is featured on official festival t-shirt. Other benefits are available upon request. Categories available for sponsorship include:
- Entertainment
- Sponsorship supports performer fees (as applicable) as well as entertainment support needs (lights & sound, for example).
- All entertainment venues are available free to festival attendees.
- Entertainment is spread out between two “brick & mortar” venues as well as the festival marketplace.
- Health & Wellness
- Sponsorship supports multiple health & wellness services & operations support available throughout the festival, including accessibility, security, & safety-related needs.
- Food & Beverage
- Sponsorship supports the infrastructure & utility needs of the food & beverage area of the festival marketplace.
- Camden’s Carnival
- Sponsorship supports family-friendly carnival games & activities that are distributed throughout the festival marketplace.
- All carnival activities are available free to festival attendees.
- Marketplace
- Sponsorship supports infrastructure for the festival marketplace, including canopies, tents, & tables provided at no-charge to many not-for-profit vendors.
- More than 110 vendors participate in the marketplace, which is spread throughout the festival.
- Entertainment
- Shuttle Sponsorship ($1,250) – single opportunity. The sponsor is recognized through on-shuttle signage & rights to be referred to as the “Official Shuttle Sponsor of the Spencer Pride Festival.” Sponsor receives complimentary premium booth space in festival marketplace. Sponsor logo is featured on official festival t-shirt. The shuttle is a free service offered to festival attendees. Utilizing a shuttle improves event accessibility & minimizes parking impact to downtown residents & businesses.
- Plaza Sponsorship ($1,000) – available for each of the four plazas located within the festival. The sponsor is recognized through on-site signage (provided by either sponsor or Spencer Pride). Sponsors receive complimentary premium booth space within their plaza. Sponsor logo featured on official festival t-shirt. Plazas provide an opportunity for event attendees to gather & focus. All plazas include covered seating for the public. Plazas are major thoroughfares at the festival & sponsor signage will be highly viewed.
- Stage Sponsorship ($1,000) – single opportunity. The sponsor is recognized through onstage signage & naming rights (i.e. the stage is referred to on our map & social media as the “SPONSOR NAME Stage”). The main stage features live entertainment all-day long & is the most viewed location at the festival. Sponsor receives complimentary premium booth space in festival marketplace. Sponsor logo is featured on official festival t-shirt.
- Pet Pride Parade Sponsorship ($400) – single opportunity. The sponsor is recognized through on-site signage & naming rights (i.e. the parade is referred to on our map & social media as the “Pet Pride Parade Presented by SPONSOR NAME”). The Pet Pride Parade features animals of all kind, accompanied by their responsible owners.
- Carnival Activity Sponsorship ($200) – available for each of our substantial carnival activities (generally 4-6 per year). The sponsor is recognized with naming rights (i.e. a sponsored bounce house is referred to on our map & social media as the “SPONSOR NAME Bounce House”).
