Center for Story-based Strategy
Changing the story changes the world.
What they do
The Center for Story-based Strategy (CSS) is a national movement-building organization that uses narrative as a tool for change. Rooted in the belief that stories frame what is politically possible, CSS supports grassroots organizers and frontline communities to identify, disrupt, and replace dominant cultural narratives with ones that reflect justice, dignity, and collective power.
Through training, facilitation, and strategic support, CSS offers a unique blend of creative strategy, political education, and storytelling practice. Their goal is not only to tell better stories—but to change the rules of the story altogether.
Why it matters
In today’s polarized and media-saturated landscape, winning the battle of policy requires winning the battle of imagination first. CSS helps movements expose the myths upholding oppression—like individualism, inevitability, scarcity, and “deservingness”—and replace them with new frames that prioritize interdependence, abundance, and shared humanity.
They equip communities not only to fight back, but to reclaim authorship over the narratives that shape public consciousness, systems, and futures.
What they believe
CSS is grounded in a set of liberatory principles:
Narrative is power—who controls the story controls what’s seen as possible or normal.
Culture is a terrain of struggle—ideas are not neutral, and stories must be actively contested.
Frontline communities are strategic leaders—those most impacted by injustice hold the wisdom to transform it.
Strategic storytelling is collective work—it requires reflection, imagination, and disruption.
Winning is not just changing policy, but shifting meaning.
How it connects to Change Lab
CSS’s work is in deep alignment with Change Lab’s mission to build belonging, shift systems, and create civic infrastructure rooted in empathy and power-sharing. Together, we share:
A belief in narrative as a lever for systems change
A commitment to expanding the circle of human concern through culture
A focus on tools, not just talk—both organizations equip people to act, not just reflect
A practice of meeting people where they are, emotionally and culturally
Where Change Lab works to design inclusive civic pathways, CSS ensures those pathways are narratively visible, emotionally resonant, and authored by the people walking them.
Opportunities to engage
Integrate CSS’s Battle of the Story framework into facilitator trainings and civic workshops
Partner on narrative strategy for Change Lab initiatives, pilots, or community campaigns
Co-develop story-based organizing tools tailored to different audience segments
Collaborate on cultural interventions that address the myths driving division and disengagement
