Feminist Frequency announced its closure on August 1, 2023, with Executive Director Anita Sarkeesian citing exhaustion and burnout. The nonprofit wound down its operations at the end of 2023 and completed its closure in early 2024; its hotline service ended earlier, on September 30, 2023.
Why did Feminist Frequency shut down?
Sarkeesian attributed the decision to exhaustion and burnout. In her August 1, 2023 announcement, she wrote, “The best answer I can give is the honest truth: I’m exhausted.” She also described “bone-deep burnout” after repeatedly saying yes to the organization’s growth, often at the expense of her personal boundaries and the team’s workload. In the closure announcement, she explained her own reasons; Feminist Frequency’s press release that day likewise quoted her saying that exhaustion and burnout had taken their toll.
The organization did not identify finances as the reason for closing. Its explanation was Sarkeesian’s account of the toll of the work.
When did Feminist Frequency close?
Sarkeesian announced the decision on August 1, 2023, and said the shutdown would happen gradually, with complete closure expected in early 2024. Feminist Frequency’s annual and lifetime report, published January 30, 2024, describes the nonprofit as ceasing operations at the end of 2023 and fully closing in early 2024. Those dates distinguish the end of operating activity from completion of the wind-down.
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Feminist Frequency began in 2009 as a feminist media criticism project and later expanded its work into games and online harassment. The organization described its history as spanning fifteen years in its 2023 reporting.
What happened to the Games and Online Harassment Hotline?
The free, confidential, text-based hotline served the games community through September 30, 2023. Feminist Frequency said its comprehensive guidance and resources would remain available online after the service ended. Hotline leader Jae Lin continued ReSpec, which the organization described as the hotline’s accountability support space.
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Feminist Frequency reported that the hotline had served nearly 650 people in 2023. That is the organization’s own reported figure, not an independently audited count.
Which Feminist Frequency projects and archives continued?
Podcast
Feminist Frequency Radio continued under co-host Kat Spada’s stewardship, according to the closure announcement and final report.
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Videos and podcast archive
The organization said its video archive would stay online as a free media criticism resource. Its final report lists Tropes vs. Women, Queer Tropes, Ordinary Women and other video series among the resources remaining free on its website, alongside hundreds of past podcast episodes.
Feminist Frequency reported more than 450 episodes of media criticism and pop-culture commentary videos and podcasts in 2023. This is the organization’s combined figure for those formats.
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Fundraising and donations
The 2023 closure announcement said recurring donations were being canceled and new donations would no longer be accepted. Feminist Frequency’s final report listed $3,185,690.94 in all-time fundraising, broken down across categories that included individual donations, corporate support, charity streaming, grants and Patreon. The total is reported by the organization, not presented here as an independently audited figure. The announcement said any remaining funds, after closure costs, would go to nonprofits with aligned missions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What remains available to audiences?
The hotline itself stopped operating on September 30, 2023, but its resource archive was to remain online. ReSpec continued under Jae Lin, and Feminist Frequency Radio continued under Kat Spada. The video series and past podcast episodes also remained available as free media criticism resources, according to the organization’s final report.
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