Nearly 250 individual donations and support from Titans Foundation, Amazon, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and Music Community Foundation to carry Dolly Parton’s spirit of generosity forward
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 29, 2026) – Middle Tennessee celebrated Dolly Parton the way she so often celebrated others: by giving back.
Over three days, Give Like Dolly – Middle Tennessee raised $234,380.40 through nearly 250 gifts to support 20 local nonprofits and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Middle Tennessee.
The campaign began on Dolly Day, September 25, with significant support from the Titans Foundation, Amazon, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and Music Community Foundation, and continued through September 27 as people across Middle Tennessee and beyond joined together to carry Dolly’s spirit of generosity forward.
“Dolly showed us that generosity isn’t just about how much you give. It’s about seeing a need and choosing to do something about it,” said Hal Cato, CEO of Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. “Over these three days, we saw that spirit reflected across our community. From our partners who stepped forward to help launch this effort to every person who made a gift, people found their own way to give like Dolly. Together, that generosity will make a real difference for organizations serving our neighbors across Middle Tennessee.”
Partner Support
The Tennessee Titans and Titans Foundation have long focused on strengthening communities across the region and joined Give Like Dolly as part of that commitment.
“Dolly Parton’s legacy lives on in how she continues to inspire a spirit of giving and generosity in our community,” said Johari Matthews, Vice President & Executive Director, ONE Community & Titans Foundation. “We are proud to join Middle Tennessee in celebrating Dolly Day and supporting nonprofits making a difference, the Dolly way.”
Amazon also joined the effort, reflecting the broader participation of businesses, organizations, artists, and individuals throughout the region.
“We give like Dolly because generosity and community are at the heart of who we are,” said Courtney Ross, Senior Manager, Community Engagement, Amazon. “Strong communities start with neighbors investing in one another.”
Artists from across the Music Community Foundation family also stepped forward to support Give Like Dolly, extending the campaign’s reach through the music community.
“Dolly had an incredible gift for making people feel like family, whether you knew her personally or simply felt like you did through her music, her kindness and the way she lived her life,” said Rondal Richardson, Executive Director of Music Community Foundation. “That same sense of family is at the heart of MCF. And when family needs you, you show up. I’m so proud to see members of our music community doing exactly that through Give Like Dolly.”
Five Ways to Give
Donors chose among five giving areas inspired by the many ways Dolly invested in people and communities throughout her life:
- Help a Child Succeed: $49,492
- Help Someone Heal: $46,553
- Help a Neighbor in Need: $45,402
- Help Someone Find Their Song: $46,211
- Give a Child a Library of Their Own: $46,773
Gifts to the first four giving areas are shared equally among five participating nonprofits in each area, extending the impact across 20 Middle Tennessee organizations. Gifts to Give a Child a Library of Their Own directly support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Middle Tennessee.
More than 550 organizations applied to participate in the campaign, reflecting the breadth of nonprofits serving communities throughout the region. Following an eligibility review, five nonprofits were selected through a lottery for each of the four giving areas.
The benefiting nonprofits are:
Help a Child Succeed
Supporting organizations helping students overcome barriers, stay engaged in school, and reach their full potential.
- Blind Early Services TN (BEST)
Helping young children who are blind or have vision loss gets a strong start. - Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee
Helping students build the financial and career skills to shape their own future. - McNeilly Center for Children
Providing affordable early care and education in a child’s earliest years. - Nashville Freedom School Partnership
Helping children discover the joy of reading and the confidence to lead. - Sankofa Achievement Center
Helping young people dream bigger through entrepreneurship, the arts, and academics.
Help Someone Heal
Supporting organizations focused on health, healing, recovery, and families facing serious illness.
- Dickson Community Clinic
Making sure a lack of insurance does not mean going without care. - Friendship House
Creating a place where people do not have to face recovery alone. - The Heimerdinger Foundation
Delivering nourishment, comfort, and care during cancer treatment. - The Magnolia Foundation
Walking alongside parents after the loss of a child. - Nashville CARES
Helping people living with HIV access the care and support they need to thrive.
Help a Neighbor in Need
Supporting organizations meeting immediate needs such as food, housing, safety, and other critical assistance.
- American Red Cross of Tennessee River
Showing up when a neighbor’s world changes overnight. - Dismas House
Helping people coming home build a life beyond incarceration. - Ella’s House
Helping young parents pursue an education while building a future for their families. - Pawster Nashville
Keeping people and their pets together when crisis turns life upside down. - Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity
Helping families build, repair, and remain in a place they can call home.
Help Someone Find Their Song
Supporting organizations helping young people discover their gifts through music, arts, and creativity.
- 4.0 Movement Studios
Helping girls discover confidence, creativity, and their own way to shine through dance. - Girls Write Nashville
Giving young people a place to write their story and hear that their voice matters. - Nashville Children’s Theatre
Opening the curtain on imagination, empathy, and possibility. - The Quest Center for Art & Community Development
Putting instruments into young hands of children in rural communities, including those with disabilities, within reach. - Words & Music at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Helping the next generation discover the power of putting their story into a song.
Give A Child Their Own Library
Few things reflect Dolly’s generosity more clearly than the idea that started with a simple wish: give children books of their own and help them dream bigger about what their lives could become.
Through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Middle Tennessee, children from birth to age five receive a high-quality, age-appropriate book in the mail every month at no cost to their families. Made possible locally through a partnership among The Dollywood Foundation, Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation, and United Way of Greater Nashville, the program puts books directly into children’s hands during some of the most important years of their development.
A Community Gives Like Dolly
Give Like Dolly – Middle Tennessee was the local expression of a nationwide Give Like Dolly campaign led by The Dollywood Foundation. The Middle Tennessee campaign was presented by Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and Music Community Foundation, with support from Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Office of Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
The giving campaign was part of a broader Dolly Day celebration on September 25 that brought together philanthropy, music, business, tourism, local government, residents, and visitors. Across Nashville and Middle Tennessee, the community celebrated through acts of kindness, charitable giving, creative tributes, and a region-wide musical tribute to Dolly’s iconic “9 to 5.”
What began as an invitation to honor Dolly through generosity became a collective expression of the values she modeled throughout her life: seeing a need, showing up, and finding a way to help.
For Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Music Community Foundation, and the many partners who helped bring Dolly Day and Give Like Dolly to life, the response offered a fitting reminder that Dolly’s example of generosity continues to inspire others to carry on with her kindness.
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About Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) brings people, ideas, and funding together to help communities thrive. Through strategic grantmaking, civic leadership, and tools for long-term giving, CFMT partners with donors and organizations to create lasting impact across the 40 counties of Middle Tennessee.
About Music Community Foundation
Music Community Foundation helps artists and their teams build and grow charitable initiatives with trusted guidance, tailored tools, and infrastructure designed for the pace and complexity of the music business. Powered by Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT), the platform builds on decades of experience supporting music-driven philanthropy and community response, now expanded to serve artists nationwide.
