It’s June, so there’s a good chance your company has applied a rainbow sheen to its logo or plans to roll a Pride parade float out of storage in a major city next weekend. These visible forms of allyship are certainly important and can be a way to signal your support for the LGBTQ+ community. True, authentic allyship, however, requires so much more and is a year-round activity.  

This year, we’re encouraging companies to look inward at their people policies, employee engagement practices, charitable giving, and approach to campaigns to make sure that, regardless of how they choose to engage in Pride, it’s from a place of authentic allyship. We’re also taking inspiration from some of the incredible work our partners have done in the past to demonstrate their deep-rooted support for the LGBTQ+ community. Just last year, for example, our partners at Braze, Genentech, and Sephora received Human Rights Campaign’s Equality 100 Award in recognition for their leadership in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion, and Vans launched a capsule Pride collection that not only highlighted work from queer creatives, but also coincided with a $200,000 contribution to organizations working to empower the LGBTQ+ community.  

Whether you find inspiration in these strategies or the work of our partners, we hope you’ll consider how, through genuine allyship, your company can fully and authentically stand behind the LGBTQ+ community. While the rainbow logo is a start, there’s so much impactful work to be done! 

— Tides’ Corporate and Strategic Initiatives Team 

Forget the Pride Float — 4 Ways Your Company Can Be an Authentic LGBTQ+ Ally This Pride Month

Before your company rolls out the Pride float this month, we hope you’ll consider whether you’re doing so from a place of active and meaningful LGBTQ+ allyship. These four approaches are a great place to start to make sure your allyship is authentic and avoids the pitfalls of rainbow-washing. 

• Genentech and Discovery Education’s joint program, Futurelab+, was named 2023’s Best STEM Solution at the 2023 Excellence in Equity Awards. Futurelab+ works to “increase the number and diversity of students receiving a comprehensive biotechnology education by offering a standards-aligned curriculum for high school students that includes groundbreaking content addressing health equity and the importance of advancing inclusivity and representation in clinical research.”  
   
• This February, Medallia announced its industry-leading commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040. The commitment comes alongside an announcement that Medallia and other partners will re-commission a wind energy project that, over the course of five years, will avoid 6,000 tons of CO2e, “equivalent to over 15 million car miles driven.” 
   
• PagerDuty released its FY24 Impact Report showcasing the growth of its global social impact efforts, supporting 470 nonprofits and B Corps — a 56% increase from the previous year. Of the company’s $1.46 million in grantmaking, “67% of grants [are] supporting organizations led by women and/or underrepresented people.” 

   

• Google has announced the 15 new cybersecurity clinics (which include 18 higher education institutions and one nonprofit) receiving grants, volunteer and in-kind support from the Google Cybersecurity Clinics Fund. These 15 clinics will join the fund’s 2023 cohort to “increase access and opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in cybersecurity.” 

• Benevity released its 2024 State of Corporate Purpose report, uplifting key trends in the corporate social impact sector in 2024 and beyond. Among their findings, companies are “more committed than ever to social impact, pursuing their corporate purpose even in the face of high inflation and recession worries.” 
   
• Heartfelt reactions to the Women Who Code’s unexpected closure highlight the need for continued support and funding for organizations working to increase diversity and belonging in STEM-related industries.   
   
• Forbes reports on “Six Trends Shaping Philanthropy Today,” with a focus on “smarter giving.” It highlights a rise in impact investing and giving through employee matching programs as among the many tactics individuals and companies are using to amplify their impact. 
   
• Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial survey reveals the powerful influence of personal values on career choices and buying habits. The survey affirms that these generations care deeply about working for and buying from companies that share their values. 

• Tides, joined by roughly 170 other funders and donors, committed to the All by April Campaign, a push to release all election-related funding by the end of April. This initiative, founded by Democracy Fund, is intended “to give organizations that knock on doors, run election day hotlines or challenge voting restrictions in court some time to plan and bring on staff several months in advance.” 
   
• BSR released its Social Justice Guide for Business, a free resource aiming to provide "pathways for companies to pursue more holistic, proactive approaches [to social justice], rather than reactive ones driven by flashpoints that often leave companies prone to missteps and vulnerabilities." 
   
• Tides' Advancing Girls Fund is empowering young women of color by forging innovative partnerships, investing in critical resources, and supporting Black leadership. Explore how this initiative is breaking barriers and fostering opportunities for the next generation of changemakers. 

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