The Dollywood Foundation and its flagship program, Imagination Library, are encouraging fans of Dolly Parton to "Give like Dolly" on Sept. 25. Multiple cities, including Nashville, have declared Friday, Sept. 25 as '9 to 5' Dolly Parton Day.
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in honor of her father, who could not read or write. It began in her home county in East Tennessee and over time grew into the largest early childhood free book program in the world. From 1995 to 2026, the organization has helped gift more than 330 million books to children worldwide, including 40 million books in 2025 alone.
"For Dolly, giving was always personal and from her heart," said foundation president Jeff Conyers, in a statement.
"She believed deeply
in helping people, especially children, and she always felt if you are in a position to help, you should help. Give Like Dolly Day is an opportunity for people everywhere to not only support their local Imagination Library Partners but also other local nonprofits helping children."
The nonprofit organization now sends books to kids in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland. It works by partnering with locally based nonprofits embedded in communities across the country and world. Parton called these partners the "true heroes" of her program.
According to information provided by the nonprofit, the program is made possible through the continued support of Parton's estate and the Dollywood Foundation. The local program partners help by building awareness and providing the funding to cover the wholesale cost of the books and mailing.
The nonprofit encouraged donors to give directly to their local Imagination Library Partner on Dolly Day to help more children in their community receive free books. Donors can find out more information about the local partner in their community by going to Imaginationlibrary.com and clicking "Check availability."
If there is not a local partner yet, donors are asked to consider helping establish one in their community.
Here's what else you should know about the foundation and nonprofit, in light of the day of giving.
How the Dollywood Foundation has grown its operations
The Dollywood Foundation has a staff of about 44 people, according to publicly available federal tax forms.
The foundation reported $98 million in revenue during its last fiscal period, a 9.2% growth from 2024. Roughly $86 million of that revenue went to books and mailing expenses, while about $2.8 million was used to pay employees, including executives.
The foundation's total revenue has grown substantially in the past few years, presumably allowing the organization to scale up their book-gifting operation. According to public financial documents, total revenues more than doubled between 2021 to 2025, and the payroll grew too. Still, all salaries, compensation and employee benefits accounted for about $3.4 million in expenses in 2025, which is about 3.6% of the organization's total expenses.
In addition to the book program, the Dollywood Foundation runs a college scholarship program for high school seniors in Sevier County. In 2025, 22 students received assistance, totaling $78,125 in awards.
Where to dine for Dolly Day donations
Multiple Nashville businesses are joining in for the day of giving, and many are pledging their proceeds from the day to the Imagination Library.
Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk is donating all of its sales from the day to the Imagination Library and the Nashville Public Library. Jeni's Ice Cream is joining in by donating 25% of in-shop sales to the nonprofit.
See more Dolly Day special events and participating restaurants at visitmusiccity.com.
Molly Davis covers growth and development in Nashville and assists with special projects. You can email her with comments, questions and tips at mmdavis@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton Day invites fans to help kids get free books
