Midstory is a

501(c)(3) nonprofit organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

and media

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

located in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

Background and history

Midstory was founded in Toledo, Ohio, in 2018 by Samuel Chang, Logan Sander, Ruth Chang, and Alex Lim. The four founders left their hometowns to attend Ivy League colleges before returning to the Midwest to start Midstory with the goal of attracting young people to the Midwest. The name “Midstory” comes from the ecological term meaning the middle layer in a canopy of trees.

Programs

Midstory outreaches students to give them opportunities to explore the Midwest while researching and developing their own multimedia stories. Midstory began its summer college and high school programs in 2019. Midstory's virtual college programs in 2020 and 2021 provided students from across the country the opportunity to experience and build connections to Toledo and other Midwestern cities. Midstory's projects focus on city infrastructure, demography, local journalism, voting, and water. Among these projects, the Water Project and the Demography Project focus on local issues of

algal blooms An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ''algae'' encompa ...

in Lake Erie and Toledo’s declining population, respectively.

Partnerships/collaborations

Midstory co-founders have appeared as guests of WGTE Public Media’s radio show, Rough Draft Diaries with Haley Taylor on two occasions. Midstory also contributed a segment on the Great Black Swamp in a mini-documentary with WGTE aired in Oct. 2019 on

Detroit Public Television WTVS (channel 56) is a PBS member television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, owned by the Detroit Educational Television Foundation. Its main studios are located at the Riley Broadcast Center and HD Studios in Wixom, with an addit ...

as part of the Great Lakes Now series. Midstory was a partner with the Toledo Design Collective to revitalize the Garfield neighborhood in East Toledo through the Garfield Community Plan.

Recognition

2020: Midstory received the 2020 Nonprofit Innovation Award from the Center for Nonprofit Resources and the Greater Toledo Community Foundation.

References

{{reflist 501(c)(3) organizations Think tanks based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Ohio Internship programs 2018 establishments in Ohio Toledo, Ohio Think tanks established in 2018