As millions around the world mourn the passing of country superstar Dolly Parton, her book-gifting program, Imagination Library, said it will continue sending free books to children under five across the U.S. and abroad. But the future of the program in some states has become more uncertain after Republican lawmakers in Indiana and Missouri cut or reduced public funding over the past year. Founded in 1995, the program has distributed more than 300 million books and serves more than 3 million registered children.
In Indiana, state funding for the program was removed from the budget last year. At the time, the program had more than 125,000 Indiana children enrolled and had previously received a $6 million two-year state allocation under former Governor Eric Holcomb, a Republican. Governor Mike Braun, another Republican, said it would instead seek private philanthropic funding to keep the program going.
In a statement to Rolling Stone last February, Jeff Conyers, the Vice Chair and President of the Dollywood Foundation, said he hoped “that Governor Braun and the Indiana Legislature will continue this vital investment by restoring the state’s funding match for local Imagination Library programs.” “The beauty of the Imagination Library is that it unites us all - regardless of politics - because every child deserves the chance to dream big and succeed,” he added. Similarly, Missouri lawmakers cut state funding for the program for the upcoming fiscal year from about $6 million to $2 million, leading the state to freeze new enrollment on July 1. Children already enrolled are expected to continue receiving books while funding lasts.
Missouri had previously become the first state to fully fund the program.
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