[5] The Center was previously directed by Michael Ignatieff[6][7] (2000-2005), Sarah Sewall[8] (2005-2008), Rory Stewart (2009-2010),[9] and by Douglas Johnson (2013-2018).

Fellows who are or have been associated with the Center include John Shattuck, William Schulz, Luis Moreno Ocampo, William Arkin, Roméo Dallaire, Caroline Elkins, Alberto J. Mora, Sally Fegan-Wyles, Omer Ismail, Andrea Rossi, Beena Sarwar, Daniel J. Jones, and Taslima Nasrin.

The center was founded in 1999 by Graham Allison and Samantha Power[12][13] with the financial support of Kennedy School alumnus Greg Carr,[14][15] who donated $18 million.

[16] The center claims its programs are aimed at addressing public policy challenges that are complex, entrenched, multifaceted, and increasingly transcending boundaries of the nation-state.

The Carr Center claims that its objective is to respond to this rapidly changing environment through its mission of realizing global justice through theory, policy, and practice.