Dolly Parton's Most Philanthropic Efforts Across Her Long Career

Dolly Parton is a philanthropic icon. The country music superstar has repeatedly created a "Better Day" for people across the globe, donating millions to worthy causes while using her immense fame to spread love and tolerance. "I am impressed that Dolly doesn't do anything that doesn't grow to have a widespread impact," the late Kenny Rogers told Parade in 2015 of his long-time friend. "It may start locally, but because of her focus and determination, whatever it may be grows to have influence in a much larger way."

Parton's charitable efforts have made such an impact that she was honored with the Bezos Award for Courage and Civility in 2022, which included $100 million to donate to charities of her choice. "She gives with her heart and what she's done for kids, and literacy, and so many other things is just incredible," founder Jeff Bezos said at The Courage and Civility Awards. "When people are in a position to help, you should help. And I know that I've always said I try to put my money where my heart is ... I will do my best to do good things with this money," Parton said while accepting the award. The recognition came as little surprise to her fans though, as her big heart comes as naturally as her passion for music. "The most gratifying thing for me is doing good in the world," Parton told Global Heroes, and she's done just that throughout her lengthy career.

Dolly Parton is The People's Librarian, bringing books back to the people. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is one of her biggest and most famous successes, and is the childless-by-choice star's way of helping children without becoming a mom. The non-profit provides children across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the Republic of Ireland, and Australia with free books (including braille and bilingual book options), preparing them for school and developing their imagination. By July 2024, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library had donated 247,776,662 books, including over 3 million that month alone.

Parton had a touching reason for starting the initiative in 1995, which spawned from her founding The Dollywood Foundation seven years prior. "The actual beginning of the Imagination Library was based on my own life and my own dad who was not able to read nor write," she told the Library of Congress in 2018. "Daddy took a lot of pride in this, and I wanted to make my dad proud. I wanted to honor him because of his goodness, and his willingness, and his love for all his kids," she added. The Imagination Library has received several accolades, including the Association of American Publishers Honors Award and the Best Practices accolade from the Library of Congress Literacy Awards. Speaking to Southern Living in 2014, Parton said, "That's one of the things I'm proudest of, of anything I've ever done. You can't educate enough children." 

Dolly Parton has repeatedly verbalized support for the LGBTQ+ community and called out anti-LGBTQ+ communities during a 2014 Billboard interview. "If people want to pass judgment, they're already sinning. The sin of judging is just as bad as any other sin they might say somebody else is committing," she said. And Parton bucked the trend of country stars rarely publicly supporting trans rights when she performed the song "Travelin' Thru" for the movie "Transamerica." 

Parton has also funded music and arts endeavors at predominantly Black high schools. Though she hasn't spoken publicly about her efforts, writer Michael Harriot confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she financially supported high school choirs and bands. Other X users responded with their own stories of her generosity. Additionally, she used the royalties from Whitney Houston's cover of her hit "I Will Always Love You" to buy an office in a predominantly Black Tennessee neighborhood. "I thought this is the perfect place for me to be, considering it was Whitney, so I just felt, 'This is great, I'm just going to be down here with her people, who are my people as well,'" Parton said on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2021. The year prior, she took a stand and vocalized support for the Black Lives Matter movement. "Of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!" she told Billboard (via NPR).

Dolly Parton has also stepped up for those affected by natural disasters via The Dollywood Foundation's My People Fund. Parton created it in 2016 to help those affected by fires in Tennessee's Smoky Mountain area, where she grew up. The charity gave 900 families $1,000 each month for five months and $5,000 as an additional payment. Two years later, Blue Ridge Public Radio confirmed a total of $12.5 million had been donated. "Dolly was on tour and she called in to say what can we do and how quickly can we do it? Her hometown means so much to her," David Dotson, CEO of The Dollywood Foundation, told the outlet. Parton threw herself into fundraising too, organizing the "Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit" telethon where she performed alongside the likes of Kenny Rogers, Chris Stapleton, and Reba McEntire.

But that's not the only way Parton has done good in her hometown. She also founded Mountain Tough, which donated $3 million to help others affected by the devastating fires rebuild their lives. "We've spoken with so many individuals affected by the fires who say the My People Fund was critical in helping them get their lives back on track. Once The Dollywood Foundation completed their monthly distributions, they were looking for the best way to put the remaining funds to work for the people of Sevier County," Ellen Wilhoit, chair of the Mountain Tough Recovery Team, told WVLT 8.

Dolly Parton's philanthropic efforts have helped many people further their education, as The Dollywood Foundation was founded with a focus on learning. Parton created the Buddy Program in the '90s and pledged $500 to seventh and eighth graders in her home county if they partnered with another student and both graduated high school. According to The Dollywood Foundation, dropout rates fell from 35% to 6% thanks to the country star. Parton also supports furthering education via the Dolly Parton Scholarship, awarding five high school students $15,000 for college each year.

In 2022, The Dollywood Co. confirmed Dollywood Parks and Resorts employees would pay employee's educational expenses. Wes Ramey, a spokesman for Dollywood Co., told The Washington Post of Parton's role in the initiative, "She's very supportive of the employees learning and continuing to grow themselves." The "Jolene" hitmaker also awarded a $30,000 Special Merit scholarship to a little girl from Arkansas in 2016, to be doubled by the time she reaches 18. Another way she's giving back? Parton established the Chasing Rainbows Award in 2002 to honor teachers who have made a difference in their students' lives. "Far too often, wonderful and talented people work in anonymity, so Dolly always embraces the opportunity to shine a light on those who do so much for children," David Dotson told Knox News 15 years later.

Dolly Parton raised $1 million for Tennessee's LeConte Medical Center hospital (home to the Dolly Parton Center for Women's Services) in 2017, via a benefit concert and donations from Dollywood and her Dixie Stampede. "Dolly has been such a friend to our hospital in many ways, " Ellen Wilhoit, LeConte president and chief administrative officer, told Knox News. Parton's medical contributions also include a $1 million donation in 2017 to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where her niece was once treated. Three years later, Parton donated another $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center for COVID-19 research, followed by a third $1 million donation two years later to assist pediatric infectious disease research.

Parton has also proudly supported breast cancer awareness. She teamed up with Rita Wilson, Jordin Sparks, Sara Evans, and Monica on the 2020 song "Pink" to support the Susan G. Komen non-profit. The following year, she appeared at the Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye concert, which raised over $235,000, and in 2023, her philanthropy was acknowledged via the Susan G. Komen's Promise Award. "Dolly has long used her talents to inspire, educate, and raise critical funds for the breast cancer community," Paula Schneider, Susan G. Komen president and CEO, said. "There's no doubt, the world is a better place with Dolly Parton in it." And we couldn't agree more.