Midstory

What Midstory does

Midstory is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational media thinkhub founded in 2018 in Toledo, Ohio, by four Princeton and Harvard alumni who returned to the Midwest. Operating with a 20-person staff, the organization produces multimedia storytelling and solutions-oriented research focused on post-industrial Midwest communities, serving a tripartite audience: general readers and listeners of regional journalism, students aged roughly 15 to 25+ enrolled in free educational programs, and institutional collaborators in academia, public radio, and the public sector. Editorial coverage spans 11+ topic categories including Art & Culture, Environment, City Infrastructure, Public Health, Books, Film, Food, Music, Education, and Science & Technology, with geographic reach across the Midwest (Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin).

The product portfolio comprises six active podcasts (Brain Drain, Greener Pastures, The Midstory Hour, In Transit, Social Distances, The Midpoint) distributed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, and WGTE FM91; more than a dozen research and documentary projects (A Canopy of Arrivals, American Soundscapes, Asian in Ohio, Battleground Breakdown, City Flows augmented-reality exhibition, Colors of Climate Change, COVID-19 dashboard, Local Journalism Project, Water Project, With|Standing, Demography Project, City Infrastructure Project, Innovations Project, Higher Education Project, Nonprofit Project); and three ThinkLab youth education programs (High School summer mentorship, nine-week College Internship with cohorts from 2019 through 2026, and Graduate Fellowship). The underlying technology stack is conventional — a WordPress-based website (midstory.org), standard podcast hosting, a YouTube channel (UCPIipiaWusTv2tFEyyX124A), and social distribution across Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn — with no disclosed proprietary platform. Data visualization appears in the COVID-19 dashboard and Water Project, and augmented reality is used in City Flows, but no AI/ML components are documented.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded with no paid products. Revenue streams include individual donations via DonorBox, foundation and state agency grants (Ohio Humanities, Ohio Arts Council, America 250-Ohio Commission, Ohio EPA Environmental Education Fund), federal pass-through funding (NSF award #1916613 via Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub), ARPA allocations from the City of Toledo and Lucas County administered by The Arts Commission, and corporate philanthropy (First Solar Community Giving Fund through Greater Toledo Community Foundation). All ThinkLab programs are provided free of charge to accepted participants. No revenue figures, valuations, or funding rounds are disclosed.

Name

Midstory

Legal name

Midstory

Website

https://midstory.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Midstory is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 in Toledo, Ohio that produces multimedia storytelling, data-driven research, and free youth education programs about the Midwest across six podcasts, 15+ projects, and three ThinkLab tiers, funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Regional Media

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Learning Content (Podcasts, Audiobooks, Listening Programs) (EDAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Teaching Resources & Lesson Plan Libraries (EDAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Nonprofit media
• Multimedia journalism
• Regional storytelling
• Youth media education
• Solutions research

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Midstory relies on donations from individuals and supporters to fund operations. The website links to DonorBox for contributions.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Midstory is a 501(c)(3) educational media thinkhub that produces original multimedia storytelling, podcasts, research projects, and documentaries focused on the U.S. Midwest. It also runs ThinkLab, a youth education program, and is funded primarily through donations and grants.

Product overview

Midstory is a 501(c)(3) educational media thinkhub offering a portfolio of podcasts, research projects, and youth education programs. Its core offerings include six podcasts (Brain Drain, Greener Pastures, The Midstory Hour, In Transit, Social Distances, The Midpoint), multiple research and storytelling projects (A Canopy of Arrivals, American Soundscapes, Asian in Ohio, Battleground Breakdown, City Flows, Colors of Climate Change, Water Project, With|Standing, Demography Project, City Infrastructure Project, Innovations Project, Higher Education Project, Nonprofit Project, Local Journalism Project), and three ThinkLab youth programs (High School, College Internship, Graduate Fellowship). The organization focuses on multimedia storytelling, data-driven journalism, and solutions-oriented research to progress the narrative of the Midwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brain Drain: A podcast that looks at an average American city through the eyes of the people who've left it behind
• Greener Pastures
• The Midstory Hour
• In Transit
• Social Distances
• The Midpoint
• ThinkLab High School Program
• ThinkLab College Internship
• ThinkLab Graduate Fellowship

Products and services

• Midstory Podcasts Original podcast series covering Midwest-focused issues, stories, and solutions-oriented reporting, distributed for free to general listeners via podcast platforms and public radio.
• Midstory Research Projects Solutions-oriented research initiatives investigating issues affecting the U.S. Midwest, produced with foundation and government support and published for public consumption.
• Midstory Documentaries Original documentary films and video content focused on Midwest stories, distributed through the organization's website and digital channels.
• ThinkLab Youth Education Program Free educational program that teaches Midwest youth multimedia and journalism skills, providing a pipeline into the organization's reporting work.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Toledo - Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Flows is an immersive physical and digital exhibition designed by Midstory with the University of Toledo's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as part of their educational augmented reality project funded by the Ohio Environmental Education Fund of the Ohio EPA. This represents a core academic collaboration for educational content creation.
• WGTE Public MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeekly radio show partnership where The Midstory Hour is broadcast on WGTE FM91 every Saturday at 10AM ET. The podcast spotlights the best of Midstory's content and connects regional stories into national dialogues.
• Toledo Lucas County Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the With|Standing public exhibition featuring six architectural sites of transformation across Ohio. The exhibition was located in the gallery space in the Main Library.
• America 250-Ohio CommissionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFunding partner for the With|Standing project, providing financial support for the mini-documentary series and exhibition.
• Ohio Arts CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFunding partner for the With|Standing project, supporting the exhibition and documentary series.
• The Arts Commission (Toledo)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdministered ARPA funds allocated by the City of Toledo and Lucas County Commissioners as part of the With|Standing project support.
• Ohio Department of HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData source for COVID-19 tracking dashboard, providing case, death, and hospitalization data for Ohio.
• New York TimesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData source for COVID-19 tracking dashboard.
• Our World in DataminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData source for COVID-19 tracking dashboard providing international comparative data.
• NPRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData source for COVID-19 tracking dashboard.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Type Investigations (formerly The Investigative Fund): A New York-based nonprofit that produces investigative journalism in partnership with national outlets and hosts a fellowship program for emerging reporters. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit combining editorial production with a structured talent development pipeline.
• City Bureau: A Chicago-based civic journalism nonprofit that trains local reporters and produces community-centered reporting on under-covered issues. It mirrors Midstory's combination of journalism, civic research, and a structured local talent development pipeline.
• Belt Magazine: An independent nonprofit magazine covering the Rust Belt and Midwest with longform journalism and storytelling. It is the most direct peer to Midstory, sharing the same regional focus, narrative-driven journalism model, and nonprofit funding structure.
• The Marshall Project: A nonprofit newsroom focused on criminal justice reporting that combines deep investigative journalism with a podcast-first distribution strategy. Directly comparable in operating model: nonprofit, journalism-heavy, podcast-led, mission-narrow.

Broad incumbents

• ProPublica: The largest U.S. nonprofit investigative newsroom, operating broadly across national topics with foundation funding. Comparable as a scaled nonprofit news leader that competes for the same philanthropic dollars and editorial talent pool.
• Reveal (Center for Investigative Reporting): A national investigative journalism nonprofit that produces the Reveal podcast and data-driven reporting. Comparable in combining a podcast-first distribution strategy with nonprofit investigative reporting and foundation-supported editorial work.
• Chicago Public Media (WBEZ): Major regional public media organization operating WBEZ and podcast initiatives out of Chicago. Comparable as a larger regional media entity that mixes podcasts, journalism, and educational programming in the same Midwest geography.

Emerging players

• Inside Climate News: A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to climate and energy reporting that also runs a fellowship program for early-career journalists. Comparable as a mission-narrow nonprofit that blends investigative reporting with structured talent development.
• The 19th News: A nonprofit newsroom covering gender, politics, and policy with a fellowship component. Comparable as a relatively young, mission-defined nonprofit combining journalism with structured talent pipeline programming.

Regional players

• Station Houston / KVSC 88.1 FM: Regional public/community radio and podcast operations with educational programming that pair local reporting with student training. Comparable as a public-radio-style distribution and education partner operating outside Midstory's immediate Toledo/Ohio footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/midstory
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPIipiaWusTv2tFEyyX124A
• Facebookfacebook.com/midstory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midstory
• Instagraminstagram.com/midstorytoledo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Midstory