Dolly Parton’s Philanthropy: The Imagination Library and a Legacy That Lives
Parton passed away exactly one month ago today, but her legacy is still very alive. It lives through the philanthropy she spent decades building, especially Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that continues putting books into the hands of children around the world.
Today, September 25, marks the first Give Like Dolly Day, created by the Dollywood Foundation to support local Imagination Library programs and continue Dolly Parton’s work for children and literacy.
What began in one Tennessee county in 1995, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library has grown into an international literacy program that has distributed 300 million books to children in five countries.
Parton is one of many well-known Americans who used wealth and influence to support charitable causes. LIFE has explored several of them in its article on major American philanthropists. Her work also connects to a much larger issue LIFE covers regularly: why education access matters for children around the world.
Parton’s approach to giving stands out because the Imagination Library was built to continue. Children receive books month after month, while local organizations help fund and operate the program in their communities.
Included on this page:
Dolly Parton’s Philanthropy
Dolly Parton was best known as a singer and songwriter, but Dolly Parton’s charity work became another major part of her public life.
Through the Dollywood Foundation and other initiatives, she supported education, healthcare, disaster response and community programs. Literacy became one of her longest-running causes.
The Imagination Library was different from a one-time donation. It was built around regular support during a child’s earliest years.
Why Literacy Became a Long-Term Focus
The reason was personal. Parton’s father, Robert Lee Parton Sr., could not read or write. She often connected his experience to her decision to create a program focused on books and children’s literacy.
Not being able to read can affect far more than what happens in a classroom. Low literacy can make it harder to find and secure employment, earn a stable income, understand important information and navigate everyday tasks such as forms, instructions and healthcare. U.S. education data has also found a clear relationship between higher literacy levels and higher employment and earnings.
Parton saw some of these limitations through her own father, Robert Lee Parton Sr. She described him as one of the smartest and hardest-working people she knew, but said she believed his inability to read and write kept him from fulfilling some of his dreams. His experience became one of the main inspirations behind Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Instead of beginning with a national campaign, she started in the place she knew best. Her home county in Tennessee.
The Dolly Parton reading program began in Sevier County, Tennessee, in 1995. Parton grew up in the area, and the original program was created for local preschool-aged children.
Its purpose was straightforward: give children access to books at home and encourage an early love of reading.
Starting With One Simple Barrier
The program addressed a basic question: does a child have books they can read at home?
Families did not have to buy the books. Once enrolled, eligible children received books through the mail. The main requirement was that the child live in an area served by a local Imagination Library program.
A child who enters the program early can therefore build a collection of books before starting school.
Takeaway: Parton took a problem that affected her own family and created a program that could be repeated in other communities.
What Is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library?
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a free book-gifting program for children from birth to age five. Registered children receive an age-appropriate book in the mail each month at no cost to their families.
The Dolly Parton free books program currently operates in participating communities in:
the United States
Canada
the United Kingdom
Australia
the Republic of Ireland
The program is available regardless of family income, but it is not available in every community.
Takeaway: The program does not distribute the same book to every child once. It provides new, age-appropriate books throughout early childhood.
How Does the Imagination Library Work?
The Dolly Parton book program may look simple to families, but it depends on a larger network behind the scenes.
1. Check Whether the Program Is Available
Parents or caregivers first need to find out whether an Imagination Library program serves their community. Local availability varies.
2. Register the Child
Children who meet the local geographic requirements can be registered through the program in their area. Because local requirements can change, families should always check the official program before registering.
3. Receive Books Each Month
Once enrolled, children receive selected books through the mail until they age out of the program at five.
Who Funds the Program?
Local Program Partners play a major role. These partners can include nonprofits, school districts, businesses and community organizations. They help enroll children, promote the program and secure funding for the books distributed in their area.
The Dollywood Foundation supports the larger infrastructure behind the program.
Takeaway: The Imagination Library grew because local communities could use an existing system rather than having to build a literacy program from the ground up.
How Did Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Grow?
The scale of Dolly Parton’s philanthropy becomes clearer when the program’s growth is viewed over time.
From Tennessee to Five Countries
Some of the main milestones include:
1995: The Imagination Library launches in Sevier County, Tennessee.
2000: National replication begins in the United States.
2006: The program expands to Canada.
2007: The United Kingdom follows.
2013: The program reaches Australia.
2019: The Republic of Ireland joins.
2023: The program reaches 200 million books distributed.
2025: The Imagination Library celebrates its 30th anniversary.
According to its 2025 Year in Review, the program had gifted more than 304 million books since its launch, including more than 40 million books during 2025 alone.
Those numbers show the size of the program. They do not, by themselves, prove that every child who receives books becomes a stronger reader. Having access to reading materials certainly increases the likelihood of fostering a lifelong love of reading in the next generation.
Why Does Early Access to Books Matter?
The importance of literacy begins long before a child enters a classroom. Books give young children opportunities to hear words, ask questions, follow stories and interact with the adults reading with them.
Shared Reading Supports Language Development
Research has found benefits associated with adults sharing books with young children. A systematic review of 19 randomized controlled trials involving 2,594 children found that book-sharing interventions had positive effects on expressive and receptive language development.
That does not mean simply receiving a book guarantees better literacy. What families do with the book matters. Shared reading can create opportunities for children to:
Hear new vocabulary
Ask and answer questions
Talk about pictures and ideas
Hear the same language repeatedly
Spend focused time reading with a parent or caregiver
Learn about new concepts or ideas
Relate to stories about other people
Increase empathy and emotional intelligence
Connect with others
A child relaxes on a comfortable couch, absorbed in a book, with a sunlit room and a shelf of books in the background.
Book Access Is One Piece of Education
Early childhood literacy is affected by many factors.
Children also need access to teachers, safe learning environments, nutrition, healthcare, school supplies and adults who can support their learning.
LIFE’s work with vulnerable children reflects this wider view. Its guide to orphan sponsorship support explains how education can be supported alongside food, healthcare, clothing and other basic needs. Books cannot remove every barrier a child faces. They can make one important resource easier to access.
3 Reasons Dolly Parton’s Philanthropy Has Lasted
Parton donated to many causes during her life, but the Imagination Library offers a useful example of how a charitable idea can grow beyond its founder.
1. The Support Repeats
A child does not receive one book and leave the program.
Books arrive month after month.
That turns a single act of giving into ongoing support.
2. Local Communities Are Part of the Model
The program did not try to operate every community from one central office. Local partners raise funds, enroll children and help run programs in their own areas.
This structure allowed the same model to expand into thousands of communities while still depending on local involvement.
3. The Program Can Continue Without Its Founder
This may now be the most important part of Parton’s philanthropic legacy.
On September 25, 2026, the Dollywood Foundation marked the first Give Like Dolly Day, encouraging people to support the local organizations that continue the Imagination Library.
Parton is no longer here to lead the program herself, so the organization is asking the world to step in and keep Dolly’s dream of growing literacy alive.
Takeaway: Long-term philanthropy is about more than how much someone gives. Structure, partnerships, and continuity can determine whether that work lasts.
For a wider look at how charitable giving can take different forms, LIFE’s article on philanthropic giving in America looks at several major donors and the causes they have supported.
How Can You Support Children’s Literacy?
You do not need to create an international foundation to support children’s literacy. There are practical ways to help.
Support the Imagination Library
People specifically looking to donate to Imagination Library should give through the official program or an authorized local Imagination Library partner.
Following Parton’s death, her family asked people to support the program in lieu of sending flowers.
Support Reading Locally
You can also:
read regularly with a child
donate new or gently used children’s books
support a local library
volunteer with a literacy organization
help schools obtain books and learning materials
support programs that remove financial barriers to education
Support Education Through LIFE
Life for Relief and Development (LIFE) also supports education programs for children living in vulnerable communities.
LIFE is not affiliated with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library or the Dollywood Foundation.
Its education work includes school supplies and other forms of assistance that help children access and continue their education.
Learn more about LIFE's humanitarian work and how support for children can include education after parental loss.
Dolly Parton’s Legacy Continues Through Books
Dolly Parton’s philanthropy grew from a personal concern about literacy into a program operating across five countries.
The numbers are significant, but the structure behind them may be the more useful lesson. The Imagination Library gives repeatedly. It works with local organizations. It created a model communities can continue using.
More than 30 years after the first books were mailed in Tennessee, children are still receiving them. One month after Parton’s death, that work continues.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dolly Parton’s Philanthropy
What Charity Did Dolly Parton Start?
Dolly Parton created the Dollywood Foundation in 1988. In 1995, the foundation launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which became her best-known literacy program.
What Is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library?
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a free book-gifting program. It sends age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age five in participating communities.
Why Did Dolly Parton Start the Imagination Library?
Parton said her father’s inability to read and write helped inspire the program. She first launched it for children in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up.
How Does the Dolly Parton Free Book Program Work?
Children living in participating areas can be registered for the program. Once enrolled, they receive an age-appropriate book through the mail each month until they turn five.
Is the Imagination Library Based on Family Income?
No. The program is designed for children regardless of family income. However, children must live in an area where a local program is available.
How Many Books Has the Imagination Library Distributed?
The program reported more than 304 million books gifted since its creation by the end of 2025. More than 40 million of those books were distributed during 2025.
Where Is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Available?
The program operates in participating communities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.
Is LIFE Affiliated With Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library?
No. Life for Relief and Development and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library are separate organizations. LIFE supports education and humanitarian programs through its own projects around the world.
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