Kara Elliott-Ortega

Kara Elliott-Ortega is the Senior Program Officer for the Arts and Culture Program at The Kresge Foundation. Kara works on grantmaking and social investment initiatives that advance the Arts and Culture Program strategy and promote creative community development, cultural strategy, and organizing efforts. She joined the foundation in 2025.

Previously, Kara served as the Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. She led the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture and oversaw grantmaking, support for creative workers, public art, cultural real estate development, and cross-sector place-based creative strategies. Rooted in community organizing and the belief that cultural investment is a requirement for realizing equitable futures, Kara serves in various arts advocacy and cultural organizing roles around the country.

Kara earned a Master in City Planning from MIT with a focus on urban design and the role of design thinking in federal climate resilience policy. Originally from Providence, RI, she spent a decade in Chicago where she graduated with degrees in English Literature and Human Rights from the University of Chicago.