How Strategic Support is Shaping Soulsville

(Mar 7, 2025) For Pat Mitchell Worley, leading the Soulsville Foundation is the result of years spent advocating for Memphis music, education, and community development. Early in her career, working in music journalism and nonprofits, she saw Soulsville’s potential to do more than preserve history. Today, as President and CEO, she is ensuring that young people in Memphis have access to opportunities in music and beyond.

Soulsville is built on the legacy of Stax Records, but its mission includes education and workforce development. The foundation runs the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Stax Music Academy, and the Soulsville Charter School. Each plays a role in education and career pathways. Like any growing organization, Soulsville needed a strategy to strengthen its programs and ensure long-term sustainability. With a Nonprofit Capacity Building grant from the FOREVER Funds at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, Soulsville developed a plan to refine operations and expand its reach.

This investment helped align the charter school and music academy, expand free music education, and improve operations. It also strengthened Soulsville’s fundraising, helping secure additional support. That momentum led to a second Nonprofit Capacity Building grant focused on rethinking the charter school’s academic structure and career pathways for students.

Worley’s connection to Soulsville is both professional and personal. Raised in a family rooted in journalism and civic engagement, she learned early on the power of storytelling and preserving history. Her career took her through music journalism, public relations, and broadcasting, with roles at the Memphis Music Foundation and The Blues Foundation. She championed Memphis musicians and worked to elevate their stories. When she joined Stax Music Academy in 2018 as Executive Director, she saw an opportunity to integrate the foundation’s programs. Now, as CEO, she is bringing that vision to life.

The FOREVER Funds grants have helped Soulsville adapt and grow. The first grant supported the development of an operational handbook, standardizing processes across departments. Another key realization from the planning process was that the charter school needed to evolve. When it opened, it was one of the first charter schools in Memphis. Today, with increased competition and shifting student needs, the school must reassess how it prepares students. With the support of the second grant, Soulsville brought in an education consultant to refine its academic model and ensure students are prepared for college and careers.

Since 2012, every graduating class of the Soulsville Charter School has achieved 100 percent college acceptance. But acceptance is just the beginning. The foundation helps students secure scholarships, find mentors, and navigate their next steps.

These changes extend beyond Soulsville’s walls. The museum has expanded free field trips for Title I schools, increasing student visits from 3,000 to 11,000 annually. Free music lessons are now available in local schools without arts programs. A partnership with the University of Tennessee has brought a neighborhood clinic to campus, providing medical care to students and the surrounding community.

For Worley, this work is about more than preserving the past. It is about ensuring young people have the resources and opportunities to shape their futures. The impact of Soulsville is evident not just in its students but in the broader Memphis community. 

With continued donor support, Soulsville will keep growing, providing young people with the skills, training, and mentorship they need. The work continues, but with strong leadership and a clear strategy, the foundation is prepared for the future.