Kota was founded in 2015 by Jaana Rehnstrom and a group of mostly Finnish individuals living in New York City. Jaana, who moved to the US in 1982, is a physician with a passion for gender equity and community building. After years of clinical work as an ob/gyn and founding the Finland Center Foundation, she saw the need for stronger nonprofit collaboration in the US to address social inequities. Inspired by Finland's strong history of gender equity, Jaana envisioned a collaborative nonprofit space in NYC to better support women’s empowerment.

In 2022, Kota moved into its own building in Harlem, chosen for its affordability, subway connections, and alignment with their mission to empower women, especially in under-resourced, diverse communities. Kota aims to strengthen ties among like-minded nonprofits and advance the well-being of women and gender-fluid individuals, believing that their well-being is essential to thriving families and a healthy society.