Dolly Parton Gifts Record $4.5 Million to Nashville Public Library

Dolly Parton has proven that she’s the gift that keeps on giving, as she has recently donated a record $4.5 million to Nashville Public Library.

The country music icon is known for her philanthropic efforts. Over the years, she has funded COVID-19 vaccines, made a donation of $1 million to aid hurricane disaster recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene, which ravaged her home state of Tennessee, and launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which gives away books and helps teach children to read—and now she’s promoting reading once again.

On Wednesday, the nonprofit organization Nashville Public Library Foundation announced that the Dollywood Foundation had made the donation to the library. It called the sum the “most significant gift” in the foundation’s history.

Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Parton for comment on Thursday outside of normal business hours.

“I really believe this partnership can make a huge impact on inspiring a love of reading for children and families. And one of the best parts is that Nashville can once again light the way for the nation,” Parton said in a statement.

The organization intends to use the contribution to launch a new program called Begin Bright, which aims to ensure literacy for kindergarten-age children.

“We are humbled by Ms. Parton’s incredible act of generosity,” Nashville Public Library Foundation President Shawn Bakker said. “Not only has The Dollywood Foundation given all the books necessary to fulfill a key pillar of the program, but the historic financial contribution will enable the Library to accelerate [the] launch of this program within the fiscal year. Dolly Parton is a transformational figure in worlds of philanthropy and literacy, and we are thrilled to partner with her and excited about the impact this promises to have on our city.

“We are assembling a group of visionary community leaders to support the library as it makes a major expansion of its early literacy programming. The new initiative and expanded resources will be unlike anything else happening in the country. We are honored that the program will happen in Nashville first.”

Parton launched the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to inspire children in her home Sevier County, Tennessee, to decrease the rate of high school dropouts and, according to the organization, the initiative was successful.

“In the early ’90s Dolly promised every 7th-grade and 8th-grade student she would personally give them $500 if they graduated from high school. This effort, called the Buddy Program, reduced the drop out rate for these two classes from 35% to 6%,” it reads on the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library website.

The foundation also provides scholarships to high school graduates in the county to help them continue their education at any accredited university.

The country star’s philanthropic efforts don’t end there. In 2016, she launched the My People Fund, a charitable initiative that provided financial assistance to families affected by the 2016 wildfires in Sevier County.

“In May of 2017, the foundation concluded the distribution with the announcement that over $12 million had been raised and given to the families who lost their homes. Additional funds raised also provided one-time scholarships to high school seniors whose homes were lost to the fires,” it states on the website.