TIME'S UP is a non-profit organization that raises money to support victims of sexual harassment. The organization was founded on January 1, 2018, by Hollywood celebrities in response to the Weinstein effect and the Me Too movement. As of January 2020, the organization had raised $24 million in donations.
Time's Up collaborated with the National Women's Law Center to create the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund (TULDF), which provides legal and media support to individuals who have been subject to workplace sex discrimination, such as sexual harassment. The Time's Up Foundation raises money for the TULDF.[1][2]
The organization came under fire after its leadership's involvement in the attempted cover-up of the Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations came to light.[3][4][5] In September 2021, Time's Up dissolved its 71-member advisory board, which included several prominent actors, as a result of the continued fallout from the group's handling of the controversy. It was also reported that its entire governing board would resign and be replaced.[6]
Time's Up raises money to support victims of sexual harassment. It was founded on January 1, 2018, by female Hollywood celebrities in response to the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases and the rapid expansion of the Me Too movement.[7][8]
Following the exposure of the widespread sexual abuse allegations made against Harvey Weinstein in early October 2017,[9][10] large numbers of women described their own experiences of sexual harassment on social media while using the hashtag #MeToo.[11][12][13][14] Women within the entertainment industry accused others in the industry of sexual harassment and abuse, as media sources covered Weinstein's legal settlements for sexual misconduct with high frequency.[15][16] During this time, a small group of female talent agents in Los Angeles met to brainstorm solutions to sexual harassment problems in the industry. This group quickly expanded, growing to 150 participants and began to hold weekly meetings and frequent workshops to discuss related issues and solutions.[14]
Time's Up publicly launched in January 2018, when the founders of Time's up published an open letter as a full-page advertisement in The New York Times and Los Angeles-based Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión.[17] The signatories to the letter included Shonda Rhimes, Jessica Capshaw, Kate Capshaw,[18] Ava DuVernay,[19] Reese Witherspoon, and Natalie Portman, among other high-profile women in entertainment.[20][21] In the open letter, Time's Up stated that its goal was to protect working-class women from becoming victims of sexual misconduct.[14] The group announced the creation of the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, administered by the National Women's Law Center, which would work towards this end. Time's Up's advocacy arm also stated it would push for the creation of laws to both punish companies that fail to address persistent sexual harassment.[14]