Meet our chief development officer!

Courtney Spellacy joined Public Rights Project as chief development officer in May. Courtney brings years of experience helping donors power civil rights and social justice causes across the country.

She spent a decade in senior leadership at the ACLU, working across affiliates in Arizona, Southern California, and Massachusetts. She then served as vice president of development at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and, most recently, as chief development officer at Sandy Hook Promise. Across all organizations, she led enterprise-wide fundraising strategy, connecting individual, foundation, and corporate donors to civil rights and democracy work.

A relationship builder, Courtney has deep experience bringing donors into close partnership with the civil rights issues of our time.

Q. What drew you to the role of chief development officer at Public Rights Project?

I was drawn to this role because of the moment we live in — and the horror I felt about the federal government’s brazen attacks against everyone it disagreed with, as well as women, Black and brown communities, trans people, immigrants, and other communities targeted by its political agenda.

It drove home to me that rights don’t remain safe. The work to protect and advance them is always ongoing. It requires organizations that roll up their sleeves and do the work — like Public Rights Project.

I saw in Public Rights Project an opportunity to contribute to a gap: the underleveraged and underused power of local government. That’s why I felt this was an exciting next step in how I contribute.

Q. What do you wish more people knew about fundraising?

At the core of fundraising are people. Public Rights Project has earned investments from some of the most sophisticated and savvy philanthropists and attracted many new supporters who have not seen themselves as philanthropists, but know that solutions need resources and they have the capital to invest. 

At Public Rights Project, I speak to a lot of people who are looking to contribute to solutions in the face of the federal government’s attempts to curtail civil rights. Giving is a part of how they see themselves as civil rights defenders and full participants in the project of American democracy.

Q. Why is it important for donors and foundations to support Public Rights Project’s work?

There are so many reasons. Just one is the brilliant leadership of the organization. It started in Oakland and has grown to a staff of over 60 attorneys, communicators, operations specialists, and fundraisers who are working tirelessly to expand Public Rights Project’s impact.

As a fairly new organization — celebrating its 10th anniversary next year — it is incredibly adaptive and strategic. One thing it does particularly well is foresee risk and help local governments see around the corner so they can react quickly. What’s more, they match this strategic acumen with the hard skills needed to support local governments in the courtroom and in the community. Much of our work is behind the scenes. But Public Rights Project is very much a part of helping to write this chapter of American history and of pushing back against authoritarian overreach.

Q. What gives you energy right now?

I was born and raised in Minnesota. I, like so many, was energized by what Minnesotans showed in pushing back against ICE. They showed us that there is nothing about the future that is a given. The future of America will be written by we, the people, in communities across the country, standing together for our rights and freedoms.