Despite how successfully the Imagination Library contributes to early literacy and kindergarten readiness, not all states are prioritizing its continuation. You can help.
“Dolly’s legacy was never meant to be something we simply preserve or look back upon,” President Jeff Conyers of The Dollywood Foundation said. “She built things that could keep doing good in the world. Our responsibility now is to care for what she entrusted to us.”
The best way we can grieve our heartbreaking loss is to continue Dolly Parton’s most cherished legacy. She never called herself a humanitarian or a human rights advocate. She just followed her heart. And if we want to truly honor her, children will continue to be the biggest beneficiaries of her generosity.
“Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission. In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over 3 million children,” Dolly Parton says on the Imagination Library website.
Since 1995, they’ve gifted more than 330 million books. Let’s make sure that number continues to grow every year.
Indiana
In its 20-year history with the program, Indiana has distributed 8.9 million books. But last year, Republican Governor Mike Braun’s 2025 budget proposal, HB 1001, did not renew their $2.5 million state funding to match the local NGOs that contribute to the total cost.
First Lady Maureen Braun and the Indiana Library Association launched a private two-year fundraising effort in 2025 to make up the difference. In March 2026, Braun reported that they’ve raised 90% of their goal for funding through June 30, 2027.
You can contribute directly to the Indiana State Library Foundation to support their ongoing efforts to keep Dolly’s childhood literacy legacy alive.
Kentucky
Republican Sen. Jason Petrie sponsored HB 500, which would have reduced the state match from dollar-for-dollar to one-third of the total distribution cost. The bill passed the Senate, but the enacted budget restored the full funding.
You can support all 120 Kentucky counties raising money for the Imagination Library here.
Or you can support the Blue Grass Community Foundation’s IL partnership here.
Nevada
Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager sponsored AB 358 to expand the program statewide with $4.6 million in funding, but it died in Assembly Ways and Means.
And a $920,000 Early Childhood Innovative Literacy Program state grant was not renewed either, ending the Storied Kids distribution of Imagination Library to more than 18,000 children in Clark County, Nevada specifically.
Here are some ways you can get involved in advocacy for children in Nevada.
United Way is raising money specifically for children in Northern Nevada. You can support them here.
Missouri
In 2024, Dolly Parton joined Republican Governor Mike Parson to celebrate Missouri becoming the first state to fully fund the Imagination Library. In 2025, they mailed 1.9 million books to Missouri children.
Just two years later, Republican Governor Mike Kehoe’s executive budget slashed its FY 2027 allocation from 2026’s $6 million down to $2 million. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education had to freeze new enrollment for children starting July 1, 2026.
Missouri doesn’t offer a direct fundraising link but you can learn more about their IL program here.
Washington
Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson signed ESSB 5167, the 2026 supplemental operating budget, with the line item for the Imagination Library zeroed out. The Senate budget had included $1 million in funding but it wasn’t approved.
This effectively ends Washington’s 50/50 match and statewide distribution on June 30, 2026, leaving a massive fundraising initiative to Washingtonians to raise that money themselves.
You can support local Imagination Library programs in Washington here.
The Impact
“We know that when kids have 20 or more books in their home, research says they go three years farther in school,” Ready Readers Executive Director Sears Spittal said.
“Look at the ROI of childhood literacy!” A local judge told me, outraged that even states with budget deficits would look at that line item and consider cutting it. He talked about how much research proves that early literacy not only increases school readiness but has also been shown to later reduce juvenile crime and teen pregnancy.
“This isn’t a cost savings, it’s a deferred cost,” an international attorney lamented. She echoed the judge’s conviction that early literacy is a quantifiable investment.
What Dolly Parton started in her home county of Sevier, Tennessee, is now changing lives all over the U.S., and has expanded to Canada, Ireland, the UK, and Australia. Books in the U.S. are now available in English and Spanish in every single state.
Parton credited the literal thousands of public-private partnerships across the U.S. (and now internationally) that put new books in children’s hands and homes every single month.
“Of course, I have not done this alone. The real heroes of our story are the thousands of local organizations that have embraced my dream and made it their own. They raise millions of dollars each year and wake up every day with a passion to make sure their kids have every opportunity to succeed.”
If you live in one of these five vulnerable states, contact your senators and representatives. You can find their names and contact information here. Let them know how critical this early literacy program is for children in every income bracket.
It’s hard to imagine any legislator would sponsor a bill whose sole purpose is to cut funding to a children’s literacy program, especially the crown jewel of national treasure Dolly Parton’s philanthropic legacy. But check your state’s proposed budget to see if the Imagination Library line item has been removed or reduced.
If you can, donate directly to the Imagination Library or to your local Imagination Library partnership.
Are your children enjoying books from the Imagination Library? Share their favorite titles in the comments. Did you participate in the program when you were little? What did you love most about getting your own new book every month?