Tyson Family Foundation commits $500,000 multi-year gift to NWA Pride Weekend
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK – Northwest Arkansas Equality has announced a transformative multi-year commitment from the Tyson Family Foundation, totaling $500,000 over the next five years. The gift solidifies the Foundation’s role as a presenting-level sponsor of NWA Pride Weekend through 2030.
The Tyson Family Foundation invests in education, health, arts and culture, youth programs, and scholarship opportunities for Tyson Foods employees and their families. The Foundation has endowed and partnered with local, regional, and national organizations committed to expanding access to knowledge, promoting creativity, and strengthening communities. The Foundation was established in 1970, and President Olivia Tyson currently leads the Foundation.
This investment marks a significant expansion of the Tyson Family Foundation’s ongoing support of NWA Equality, building on its leadership-level sponsorship of NWA Pride Weekend since 2022. The gift ensures the event’s operations and infrastructure remain strong, allowing for continued growth and accessibility of one of the region’s most visible and impactful annual celebrations of the LGBTQ community, culture, and belonging.
NWA Equality is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving, connecting, and empowering LGBTQ people across Northwest Arkansas. Through advocacy, education, health initiatives, community engagement, and social programming, the organization operates more than a dozen programs that support and connect thousands of individuals and families each year, including NWA Pride Weekend, one of the largest LGBTQ Pride celebrations in the South.
NWA Pride Weekend draws an estimated 45,000 attendees from across Arkansas and the surrounding region, creating a space where individuals, families, and allies come together to celebrate identity, build connection, and strengthen visibility and shared commitment to equality.
The Tyson Family Foundation’s commitment helps sustain and strengthen these experiences, ensuring NWA Pride Weekend continues to evolve as a space where every person can be fully seen and affirmed, with an intentional focus on uplifting voices and experiences that have too often been pushed to the margins.
“NWA Pride is about the moments people carry with them long after the festival ends. Moments of feeling seen, supported, and accepted,” said Joseph Porter, operating officer of NWA Equality. “We’re grateful for the Tyson Family Foundation’s continued investment in this program, ensuring those moments remain accessible to our entire community for years to come.”
The multi-year commitment reflects the Tyson Family Foundation’s confidence in both NWA Pride Weekend and NWA Equality’s broader mission to serve LGBTQ individuals and families throughout the region.
“We’re proud to support NWA Equality not only for what happens during Pride Weekend, but for the work the organization carries out every day of the year,” said Olivia Tyson, president of the Tyson Family Foundation. “The Foundation’s mission is to improve quality of life and support the communities where we live and work. Through its advocacy, health initiatives, and community partnerships, NWA Equality strengthens Northwest Arkansas and expands access and belonging for LGBTQ individuals and families across our region. We are honored to invest in that work and its long-term impact.”
The Tyson Family Foundation’s investment goes beyond sponsorship. It is a long-term commitment to the well-being, visibility, and resilience of LGBTQ people in Northwest Arkansas.
To support NWA Equality’s initiatives, visit nwaequality.org. For more information on NWA Pride, visit nwapride.org.
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