Flexing and strutting on a makeshift runway in The Valentine museum, models in locally designed leather, fur and crochet couture excited an audience of about 50 people on June 28, a few weeks before Black Pride RVA.

The fashion show was organized by Us Giving Richmond Connections, the local nonprofit responsible for the annual Pride festival and an advocate for the health care needs of Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) LGBTQIA+ individuals since 2008. The show is part of the group’s growing outreach efforts. Additional support is needed — especially now, before the eighth annual Black Pride RVA Weekend, set for July 17-20 — as the organization recently lost funding. 

Luise “Cheezi” Farmer, UGRC co-founder and director, estimates the group has lost between $25,000 and $30,000 in funding this year. She declined to name which organizations have pulled sponsorships.

“Our organization has been directly affected,” she said. “Black Pride RVA this year has to be big for us. We have to have community support.” 

Corey Gates, an organizer with UGRC, said a goal for the annual fashion show — held for the first time last year — is to create an event similar to the Met Gala, the high-profile New York City gathering known for celebrity fashion statements.

“I like fashion. It’s a great way of expressing myself. And I just feel like Richmond is missing a gay BIPOC fashion show,” Gates said. “I feel like we can have that space to kind of be extra … and there’s no stigma against you if you want to wear a dress or be avant-garde.”

The fashion show featured outfits by three local designers: Angelia Cooper, Jacuelyn Cole and Mariella Quintero. Between two presentations of their work, step teams associated with two non-collegiate sororities — Alpha Psi Kappa and Phi Nu Kappa — performed for the crowd.

Health mission and programs 

Fundraisers like the fashion show help UGRC fulfill its main mission: connecting people in the Black LGBTQIA+ community with health care information and services, including cancer and HIV screenings. In addition to its health expos and community events, the organization has hosted Thanksgiving dinners and back-to-school drives.

Farmer said the programs are vital.

“We try to show up anywhere and everywhere, to put the word out that we’re here, and to do that work so that people won’t die, so they have education about PrEP and HIV testing,” she said. “Those things are important, especially in a community that doesn’t always trust doctors because it’s treated a certain way.”

In 2023, the VCU Massey Cancer Center awarded a $5,000 seed grant to UGRC. An article on the center’s website said the funding helped launch a speaker series on the importance of screenings to reduce racial cancer disparities.

Officials from Massey did not respond to questions sent by email.

Climate change for nonprofits

A pressure campaign by the federal government has shifted the national landscape for many nonprofits and arts groups.

Virginia Commonwealth University eliminated its Division of Inclusive Excellence in March after President Donald Trump signed executive orders banning public programs related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, alleging they violate civil rights laws. Facing a Department of Justice investigation into the University of Virginia’s DEI practices, UVA President Jim Ryan resigned in late June. The New York Times reported the DOJ sought his removal as a condition to resolve the investigation.

Michael Porter, a spokesman for VCU’s university and health systems, initially said there were no receipts of gifts or donations to UGRC after checking with the Division of Student Affairs. He said it was possible that another arm of the university had partnered with the organization but declined to provide further information without more specific details.

Leaders in the private sector have also changed course.

While the president’s executive orders urged federal agencies and institutions to cancel grants related to equity, the Human Resource Consulting Group reported that private corporations have also rolled back support for DEI programs, as the orders “threatened legal action” for continued support.

The Connecticut-based consulting firm said major companies such as Google, Amazon and Goldman Sachs have “scaled back” DEI initiatives. Axios has reported that numerous corporations — including Pepsi, Comcast, Deloitte, Mastercard, Citi and Anheuser-Busch — have pulled sponsorships from Pride events in major cities across the country.

In May, Axios Richmond reported that two sponsors pulled out of Virginia Pride, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ event. James Millner, the festival director, also declined to name which organizations ended their support “out of respect for years long relationships,” according to Axios Richmond.

Gates said the political developments are disappointing, but he doesn’t take the local decisions personally. He said friends and neighbors can still support one another.

“I think there’s a light,” he said. “I think we need to get there first, but there’s an opportunity for us to come together in this moment.”

Black Pride RVA will be held July 17-20 and includes a mix of free and ticketed events. The weekend kicks off with a party at Godfrey’s on Thursday and ends with a gathering at Byrd Park on Sunday evening. For a full list of events, visit ugrcrva.org.

This article originally appeared on Styleweekly.com.