Dolly Parton: A Life of Giving Back

Dolly Parton is one of the most iconic in music history, with a career spanning over six decades. She has written over 3,000 songs, including hits like Jolene, 9 to 5, and I Will Always Love You. Parton has released more than 50 studio albums, earning numerous awards, including multiple Grammys, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her contributions, however, extend far beyond music as she has dedicated significant time and resources to philanthropy, supporting causes related to education, healthcare, disaster relief, and community well-being.

One of Parton’s most impactful initiatives is The Imagination Library. a program she started in 1995 in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up. Inspired by her father’s struggles with illiteracy, the program provides free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, aiming to foster a love of reading and improve literacy rates. Said Parton: 

When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer. The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.

Initially a local effort, the program has grown significantly, distributing over 200 million books worldwide as of 2023. The Imagination Library now operates in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, with a focus on ensuring children have access to books regardless of their family’s income.

Dolly PartonImagination Library

In addition to her literacy program, Parton has supported education through scholarships and grants. Her Dolly Parton Scholarship program has helped many high school students in Tennessee pursue higher education.

Parton originally launched the Dollywood Foundation in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee in 1988, with the goal of decreasing high school dropout rates. She then started the Buddy Program, in which Parton gave $500 to every seventh and eighth grader who finished high school. According to the organization, the initiative was successful, and the dropout rate declined from 35 percent to just 6 percent. Since 2000 a $15,000 college scholarship has been offered to five high school seniors each year. The scholarship is awarded to those who “have a dream they wish to pursue and who can successfully communicate their plan and commitment to realize their dreams.”

Parton’s commitment to the arts is also evident through her investments in Dollywood, her theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The park not only serves as a major employer in the region but also partners with various organizations to host charitable events and support community projects, The Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at Dollywood is a 30,000-square-foot aviary managed by the American Eagle Foundation shelters the largest collection of “non-releasable” bald eagles. Parton’s efforts to preserve the bald eagle earned her the Partnership Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2003.

Parton’s connection to her Appalachian roots is evident in her support for disaster relief efforts, particularly in her home region. After the 2016 wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains, she established the My People Fund to help affected families. The fund provided $1,000 per month to families who had lost their homes, eventually distributing over $12.5 million.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to support vaccine research. This funding contributed to the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting her ability to recognize and support pressing global needs.

Her contributions to healthcare extend beyond the pandemic. She has supported hospitals and medical programs, including the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, helping to advance pediatric care and medical research. Some examples:

Dolly PartonIn Concert

In 2007 Parton played a concert which raised $500,000 to fund a new hospital cancer in Sevier County and both Dollywood and Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner theater pledged $250,000 each to the project, for a total of $1 million. LeConte Medical Center opened in 2010 and features a 30,000-square-foot Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services.

In 2017, following the release of her I Believe in You children’s album, Parton donated $1 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in honor of her niece, who was treated for leukemia at that hospital.

In 2022 Parton made yet another $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville in June 2022, this time aimed at helping pediatric infectious disease research. She received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022

Parton’s philanthropic work reflects a steady commitment to helping others, often with a practical and straightforward approach. She has said that her success enables her to give back to the communities that have supported her, and she views her philanthropy as a responsibility rather than an achievement.