Taylor Swift Teams With ACM To Pledge Combined $200K For Dolly Telethon

Taylor Swift receives Milestone Award at 50th Annual ACM Awards. Photo: Courtesy of ACM

The Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the organization’s charitable arm, ACM Lifting Lives, have pledged $100,000 in advance of Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit for the My People Fund telethon, airing Tues., Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. ET on Great American Country (GAC). Taylor Swift has pledged to match the California organizations’ donation, bringing the total amount to $200,000.

All monies raised during the telethon will go to the Dollywood Foundation My People Fund, established by Parton to assist families affected by the recent, devastating Gatlinburg fires in Sevier County, Tennessee.

“The Academy and ACM Lifting Lives are honored to contribute in a meaningful way to Dolly’s heroic efforts to help the people of her hometown – and when Taylor heard what we were planning, she offered to match our gift, which gives it that much more impact,” said Tiffany Moon, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the Academy. “We are so grateful to Taylor for her support to the Academy’s charitable efforts through the years, and for helping us and Dolly Parton assist families in need at a time of crisis.”

The My People Fund has already pledged to provide $1,000 each month to Sevier County families whose primary residence (renters and homeowners) is uninhabitable or were completely destroyed in the recent Smoky Mountain wildfires. A pre-application for those affected is available at dollywoodfoundation.org.

Anyone who would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to the My People Fund may visit dollywoodfoundation.org. Contributions may also be made via mail to: My People Fund, c/o Dollywood Foundation, 111 Dollywood Lane, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863.