Change a Life through Music. Donate to the Concord Stax Scholarships.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Stax Music Academy (SMA) in 2020, Stax Records owner Concord launched the Concord Stax Scholarships, which have provided full tuition to at least 20 students every year for the last four years. Concord established this fund through donations from its owners, team members, friends, and partners. With this funding, the Concord Stax Scholarships underwrite music and life skills advancement for at least 100 students as well as appropriate resources needed to support SMA career development initiatives.

Concord Chairman Steve Smith and then Concord CEO Scott Pascucci stated at the time, “It’s been 60 years since Estelle Axton and Jim Stewart named their fledgling music company Stax Records. The Soulsville Foundation was inspired to create the Stax Music Academy some 40 years later. Now, during its 20th anniversary year, the Stax Music Academy can proudly say that its students enjoy a 100% college acceptance rate with more than two-thirds of those earning scholarships, underscoring that the legacy of Stax goes well beyond the music and its extraordinary artists. The Stax Music Academy gives its students a unique grounding in the Stax musical heritage while supporting their development as the next generation of leaders in the music industry. Concord is proud to invest in the future of these young people, ensuring that the cultural ideals of the original Stax remain a beacon in the global music business and the Memphis community where it all began."