42. Dolly Parton
Everyone in the U.S is familiar with the name Dolly Parton, but while she’s mostly known for her iconic country music, Parton is also one of the most prominent philanthropists of the entertainment industry. It all started back in 1988 when she created the Dollywood Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Tennessee, encouraging local education by offering scholarships to local high school graduates.
The success of the Dollywood Foundation birthed Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that started by delivering a free book every month to local families in the mail, regardless of the family’s income. It later expanded its operation beyond Tennessee and currently operates in over 1,800 communities around the country. In 2018, Parton and her team celebrated the delivery of the 100 millionth book by the organization.