Dolly Parton’s books-for-kids project now faces a funding squeeze in parts of the U.S. Republican lawmakers in Indiana and Missouri have reduced or removed public support, putting pressure on a program that has delivered hundreds of millions of free books to young children.
Dolly Parton’s reading program faces a hurdle from Republicans
Created in 1995 through Parton’s Dollywood Foundation, Imagination Library sends age-appropriate books to children from birth through age 5 at no cost to their families. More than 300 million books have reached children worldwide, while over 3 million youngsters currently participate. Dolly Parton originally launched the effort in Tennessee after seeing firsthand how her father struggled with reading and writing (via News Week).
Indiana put the brakes on public funding last year, removing state dollars from its budget for the program. Before that move, lawmakers had provided $6 million over two years, helping support more than 125,000 children. Republican Gov. Mike Braun said the state would instead lean on private donors. But former Dollywood Foundation executive Jeff Conyers pushed back, telling Rolling Stone that restoring the state match would be a “vital investment.”
Missouri has also tightened the purse strings. For the next fiscal year, lawmakers slashed the program’s funding from about $6 million to $2 million, forcing officials to stop signing up new children on July 1. Families already in the program can still receive books, but only while the remaining funding and supplies last. That marks a sharp change from 2024, when Missouri fully funded the effort and distributed 1.9 million books the following year.
Funding looks different from state to state. Alabama, California, Illinois and Kentucky, for example, split the bill between state money and local supporters, with each side covering 50%. Kentucky lawmakers floated lowering the state contribution to 33% this year, but a wave of public pushback kept the half-and-half model intact. More than 138,000 children are currently enrolled there.
Families never pay for the books. A child enrolled from birth can receive as many as 60 books before turning five. Schools, libraries, businesses, and nonprofits help pick up local expenses, while Parton’s organization handles administration, and community partners help pay for the books and shipping.
