Investigate Midwest

What Investigate Midwest does

Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit investigative newsroom founded in 2009 by journalist Mike Sherry (originally as the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting) and headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The organization produces in-depth, data-driven investigative journalism on agricultural corporations, food systems, rural communities, labor practices, environmental issues, and government accountability, typically publishing 800-2,000-word stories derived from FOIA requests, government datasets, and original data analysis. Its core product portfolio includes investigative reporting, a free weekly email newsletter, the Data Harvest data visualization series, the TextRural SMS-based weekly news roundup (launched 2025 with the Rural News Network and powered by Nota AI summarization), a free republishing service for other media outlets, and a curated directory of external agricultural data resources. All content is freely accessible on investigatemidwest.org without a paywall.

The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 27-1652830) funded through a diversified mix of individual donations, recurring membership tiers ranging from $5/month (Field Reporter) to $416/month (Beacon of Truth), and foundation grants from a roster of institutional supporters including the Reva and David Logan Foundation (described as the primary and most generous supporter), Arnold Ventures, Lumpkin Family Foundation, Pulitzer Center, Fund for Investigative Journalism, and Google News Initiative. A five-person newsroom is augmented by Report for America fellows and supported by a 12-person Board of Directors comprising former IRE executive directors, Knight Foundation chairs, and veteran investigative journalists from USA TODAY and other major outlets.

The go-to-market model is community-led: free content distribution via website, email newsletter, social media (Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky), and SMS messaging, combined with a direct-to-consumer fundraising model. The organization has won 25+ journalism awards since 2021 from SPJ, NAAJ, SEJ, SABEW, Goldsmith, and Driehaus Foundation, and maintains collaborative reporting partnerships with USA TODAY, ProPublica, Flatwater Free Press, Harvest Public Media, and IowaWatch. It is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, the Trust Project, LION Publishers, IRE, NAAJ, and SPJ.

Name

Investigate Midwest

Legal name

Investigate Midwest

Website

https://investigatemidwest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit investigative newsroom founded in 2009 that produces data-driven journalism on agricultural corporations, food systems, and rural communities for free public access. It is funded by individual donations, membership tiers, and foundation grants, with a five-person staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Investigative Journalism

NAICS

Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Agricultural news reporting
• Nonprofit newsroom
• Data-driven journalism
• Rural news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Primary revenue source. Individual donors contribute via one-time or recurring donations. Tax-deductible contributions fund the newsroom's investigative journalism operations. No donations alter journalistic integrity or influence editorial decisions.
2. Foundation and Institutional Grants: Funding from foundations and institutional supporters including the Reva and David Logan Foundation, Inactivated Foundation, Lumpkin Family Foundation, Arnold Ventures, Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, and others. Grants fund general operations, coverage of specific topics, and special projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit investigative newsroom that produces in-depth, data-driven investigative journalism on agricultural corporations, food systems, rural communities, pesticides, labor, and government accountability in the Midwest and across the United States. Its journalism is distributed for free via its website, email newsletters, SMS (TextRural), social media, and republication partnerships with other outlets. Core products include the TextRural SMS weekly news roundup, the Data Harvest data visualization series, the free weekly email newsletter, investigative reporting, a free republishing service for media outlets, and curated resources and datasets for agribusiness research.

Product overview

Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit investigative newsroom offering a portfolio of journalism products and distribution channels. Its core offerings include investigative reporting on agricultural corporations and rural issues, the TextRural SMS-based weekly news roundup, the Data Harvest data visualization series, a free weekly email newsletter, and a republishing service for other news outlets. The organization also provides external data resources for readers conducting their own agribusiness analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TextRural Text message-based weekly news roundup delivered via SMS, providing subscribers with 2-3 key stories from Investigate Midwest and up to 3 stories from Rural News Network member outlets every Friday, with AI-generated summaries via Nota. Subscribers opt in by texting MIDWEST to 1-833-600-2220.
• Data Harvest Data visualization series (formerly Graphic of the Week) that presents complex agricultural data through engaging graphics, charts, and maps to help readers understand trends in farming, food systems, and rural communities.
• Weekly Newsletter Free weekly email newsletter featuring the latest investigations, stories, and opinion pieces published by Investigate Midwest.
• Investigative Reporting In-depth investigative journalism covering agriculture, food systems, rural communities, labor, environment, and government accountability, with stories typically running 800-2,000 words and often involving data analysis and FOIA-obtained documents.
• Republishing Service Free republication option for news outlets and publishers to redistribute Investigate Midwest stories, with specific guidelines and conditions for content usage.
• Resources and Datasets Curated directory of external data sources for agribusiness research including USDA databases, EPA resources, Harvest Public Media, and other agricultural data repositories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Award-winning investigative series on pesticides and cancer has been published and recognized nationally, including SPJ Mark of Excellence Award (2026) and multiple NAAJ awards.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Rural News Network (RNN)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Investigate Midwest partners with the Rural News Network (a project of the Institute for Nonprofit News) to operate TextRural, an SMS text messaging service delivering weekly agricultural news roundups to rural subscribers. RNN is the largest collection of rural-focused newsrooms in America.
• The Trust ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Investigate Midwest is a member of the Trust Project and implements Trust Indicators on its stories to increase transparency and trust in journalism, providing readers with insight into journalistic standards, sources, and methods.
• Flatwater Free PressmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Award-winning collaborative investigative series on Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen's hog enterprise, water quality, and political influence over agricultural policy. The series won first place in Explanatory Reporting from the Society of Environmental Journalists and SABEW's top business reporting award.
• Harvest Public MediamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Multi-year collaboration on agricultural reporting, including the 'Big Ag' series on corporate money in university agricultural schools that won the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Investigative Reporting.
• USA TODAYmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaborative meatpacking and COVID-19 investigative series co-written with USA TODAY journalists, resulting in a first-place NAAJ award, AIHA award, and a Goldsmith Prize semi-finalist recognition.
• IowaWatchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Long-standing partnership with IowaWatch, a collaborative nonprofit news organization. Investigate Midwest collaborates on coverage and shares content, with shared staff and board overlap (Erin Jordan serves as IowaWatch's past president and board member).
• ProPublicaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative news organization, as part of Investigate Midwest's collaborative journalism network.
• Circle of BlueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Circle of Blue, a news organization focused on climate change and water issues, as part of Investigate Midwest's collaborative journalism network.
• Institute for Nonprofit News (INN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINN is a membership consortium of nonprofit investigative news organizations. Investigate Midwest is a member and supports the Trust Project as part of its INN membership. INN also oversees the Rural News Network through which TextRural operates.
• Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water DeskminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestigate Midwest collaborates with the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, a reporting collaboration focused on agriculture and water issues in the Mississippi River Basin.
• Report for AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReport for America supports Mónica Cordero as an investigative reporter at Investigate Midwest through a fellowship program placing journalists in local newsrooms.
• LION PublishersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestigate Midwest is a member of LION Publishers, a network of independent online news publishers.
• IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestigate Midwest staff and board members are associated with IRE; board president Brant Houston previously served as IRE's executive director for over a decade. IRE provides training and resources for investigative journalism.
• North American Agricultural Journalists (NAAJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestigate Midwest is a member of NAAJ, a professional organization for agricultural journalists. Staff members have won multiple NAAJ writing awards.
• Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestigate Midwest adheres to the SPJ Code of Ethics and is a member of SPJ. Staff and interns have won SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Harvest Public Media: Harvest Public Media is a Midwest collaborative of public media stations reporting on agriculture and food issues, the same content vertical Investigate Midwest covers. IM has run multi-year 'Big Ag' collaborations with Harvest Public Media that won the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award, making them a direct functional peer.
• Flatwater Free Press: Flatwater Free Press is a Nebraska-based nonprofit investigative newsroom that collaborated with Investigate Midwest on the award-winning Pillen series (SEJ Kevin Carmody Award and SABEW Best in Business). It is a comparable small-team nonprofit investigative operation focused on public interest reporting.
• Wisconsin Watch: Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit investigative newsroom covering state government, environment, and public interest issues from the Upper Midwest, with a similar small-staff, foundation-funded nonprofit model. It serves a comparable audience and shares the regional investigative nonprofit newsroom archetype.
• IowaWatch: IowaWatch is a nonprofit investigative news organization based in Iowa that has maintained a long-standing partnership with Investigate Midwest on agribusiness coverage. It shares board members (Erin Jordan as past president), making it one of the most direct peers in size, mission, and geography.

Broad incumbents

• Mississippi Today: Mississippi Today is a state-focused nonprofit investigative newsroom using foundation and donor funding. It shares the nonprofit digital-first investigative model and works in the rural/South context, providing comparable operating archetype although with broader state government focus.
• ProPublica: ProPublica is the largest U.S. nonprofit investigative newsroom and is a partner in IM's collaborative journalism network. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with Investigate Midwest on agribusiness accountability but operates at vastly larger scale with general-interest coverage.
• Center for Public Integrity: Center for Public Integrity is a major national nonprofit investigative newsroom. Board member Mc Nelly Torres has worked there. It is a broad incumbent comparable in nonprofit investigative model but with national scope and larger staff than Investigate Midwest.

Emerging players

• The New Lede: The New Lede is a newer nonprofit investigative outlet focused on environmental and public health stories (Carey Gillam regularly contributes to Investigate Midwest). It is a peer in the environmental-agriculture investigative niche, though with a broader environmental focus and a smaller editorial footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/imidwest
• Facebookfacebook.com/investigatemidwest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/investigatemidwest
• Instagraminstagram.com/investigatemidwest

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Investigate Midwest