To share the life and legacy of Dolly Parton as an inspiration to all children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More, Be More™

Dolly Parton created The Dollywood Foundation (DWF) in 1988. The Dollywood Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Sevierville, Tenn.

Its original mission was to inspire children in her home county (Sevier County, Tenn.) to succeed in education, and to boost high-school graduation rates. Today, the Foundation’s mission is to share the life and legacy of Dolly Parton as an inspiration for children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.  Its flagship program, which Dolly launched in 1995, is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. 

Dolly Parton launched the Imagination Library in 1995 to foster an early love of reading and learning in the children in her hometown of Sevier County, Tenn. She created the program in honor of her father, who could not read or write but she considered the smartest man she knew. Then as other communities learned of her Imagination Library, in true Dolly fashion, she shared her dream and program with those who wanted to bring it to their communities. But no one person can do it alone - and that is where the Local Imagination Library Partners and State Partners make all the difference. The Imagination Library has since become the highest quality, most recognizable and most effective book gifting resource in the world. Policymakers, funders, early childhood organizations and families trust The Imagination Library to inspire a love of reading among children of all ages.

How Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Works

This flagship program of DWF mails free high-quality, age-appropriate books to registered children every month from birth to age 5. Children enrolled from birth receive 60 books by the time they graduate from the Imagination Library program. The program is funded through a shared partnership between Dolly, her Foundation and Local Imagination Library Partners in five countries.  The Foundation covers overhead costs and negotiates pricing for the books, while local partners fundraise to cover the cost of mailing and wholesale book prices for the children in their coverage area. There is never a cost to the families.

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