Unpacking claims about funding cuts to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

After country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton died in August 2026, rumors spread online about supposed public spending cuts to her Imagination Library, which sends free books to children until their 5th birthdays. 

Posts online claimed that Missouri or Indiana Republicans cut funding for the child literacy program. Some claims were vaguer, merely stating that “Republicans” ended financial support for the Imagination Library. Readers asked us whether the Imagination Library was “defunded” after Parton’s death or in the past year and whether U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, Congress, Republicans or other various entities were the culprit. 

Here’s the truth: In about two dozen states, the Imagination Library receives state government funding. In the year before Parton’s death, two states with Republican-controlled governments — Indiana and Missouri — and two with Democrat-controlled governments — Maine and Washington — ended or reduced financial support for the Imagination Library.

At least one state with a Republican governor and Democrat-controlled Legislature, Nevada, also did not renew several grants that supported local partners of the Imagination Library. 

The federal government does not directly fund the Imagination Library, which the Dollywood Foundation oversees. However, at least two of the Imagination Library’s local partners lost funding after the Trump administration rescinded education grants as part of a larger clawback of federal funds. 

Dollywood Foundation spokesperson Tracy Long declined via email to answer any questions about funding for the Imagination Library; The New York Times reported on Aug. 25 that the Imagination Library was overwhelmed following Parton’s death. 

At least one state, Oregon, passed bipartisan legislation in 2026 that codified the Imagination Library as an official state program. 

According to the Imagination Library’s website, one in six kids in the U.S. under age 5 receives books from the organization. Imagination Library’s website also has a map showing which areas of the United States have coverage.

Here’s everything we know about the Imagination Library’s funding and why some states and other organizations stopped providing support within roughly the last year of Parton’s life:

How is the Imagination Library funded?

The Imagination Library uses a mix of private and public funding at the state and local levels. The organization itself covers all of the administrative and overhead costs. Local partners who work with the Imagination Library are asked to enroll children in the coverage area and pay an average of $2.60 per child per month toward wholesale books and mailing costs, according to a 2024 infographic from the library.

(Imagination Library)

According to Courtney Vashaw, director at a New Hampshire library that partners with Parton’s foundation, in at least some cases, like hers, the Imagination Library pays for the books, too.

“Where does local funding come into it? The postage,” she said in a phone call. “There has to be some kind of partnership that allows for that money to be raised.”

As of June 2026, the Imagination Library has full coverage in 21 states, according to a fact sheet the organization released. State governments often support those statewide programs through a 50/50 funding match, where the state pays for half of the local partners’ costs.

Many of the Imagination Library’s local partners — which are all nonprofit organizations — also heavily rely on federal or state grant funding.

Did state Republicans cut funding?

Missouri and Indiana Republicans cut funding after reportedly facing budget deficits. Kentucky lawmakers also reportedly considered cutting funding but reversed the move after public backlash.

Missouri

In November 2023, under Republican Gov. Mike Parson, Missouri became the first state to cover all costs for the Imagination Library. (Tennessee, Parton’s home state — which Republicans control — was the first to introduce a statewide program involving partial public funding support.)

In lieu of local nonprofit partners, Missouri had school districts partner with the initiative, and the schools did not have to pay for the books or postage.

But in June 2026, under Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, Missouri lawmakers cut state funding for the program for the upcoming fiscal year — reportedly from $6 million to $2 million.

“The Governor is a strong supporter of children’s literacy. Given the seriousness of Missouri’s budget imbalance, tough decisions are being made to restore responsible spending across the entirety of state government,” Gabby Picard, Kehoe’s spokesperson, said in an email.

According to the Missouri Department of Education, the planned cuts mean it can’t support adding more children to the program. However, Missouri children already enrolled in the program will continue receiving books “as funding allows.”

Indiana

Indiana began supporting the Imagination Library statewide through the 50/50 funding match model in 2023 under Republican Gov. Eric J. Holcomb, who championed the program. Lawmakers allotted $6 million to the program over two years.

In 2025, under Republican Gov. Mike Braun, GOP lawmakers cut the funding from the state budget entirely. Facing public backlash, the Indiana governor tasked his wife, Maureen Braun, with fundraising for the state-level match.

“In March, Mrs. Braun announced that fundraising for the state-level match for the program through June 30, 2027 is nearly complete,” Griffin Reid, a spokesperson for Indiana’s governor, said in an email. “The program is successfully delivering books to young Hoosiers in all 92 counties in Indiana.”

According to the Indiana Capital Chronicle, the program was on hiatus while Maureen Braun fundraised.

News outlets have reported that the governor’s office has consistently declined to share how much the first lady has raised. Reid also did not respond to our questions asking for specific numbers. 

Did state Democrats cut funding?

Yes, in Washington, which was facing budget issues, and Maine, for unclear reasons. Nevada, which has a Republican governor but a Democratic state Legislature, also failed to renew several grants to help fund local partners of the Imagination Library.

Washington

Washington established its statewide program in 2022 through bipartisan legislation under Democratic leadership. The state also used the 50/50 match model.

In 2025, while facing a $12 billion shortfall, Washington cut all state funding to the Imagination Library under Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson and a Democrat-controlled Legislature.

State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, a Democrat, kept the program running through “limited discretionary funds” until June 2026. Reykdal has called on the Legislature and Ferguson to restore funding.

On July 31, 2026, the Imagination Library of Washington announced grants from two private foundations “expected to ultimately restore access for approximately 40,000 children and return the program to full statewide coverage.”

Ferguson’s office did not return an inquiry about restoring state funding.

Maine

Maine’s Imagination Library program launched in late 2023 using the 50/50 match model after the Democratic state Legislature approved a $200,000 proposal from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.

During Maine’s budget process for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, both Mills and the Maine State Library requested funding to continue operating the program and to expand it into all of Maine’s counties, according to emails from Beth Crist, director of special projects at Maine State Library, and Ben Goodman, a spokesperson with Mills’ office.

The final budget the Legislature approved provided only $100,000 a year, however, which was not enough to expand the program, nor to support the existing nonprofit partners who administered it across seven counties at the time, Crist and Goodman said.

Maine’s budget chairs, both Democrats, did not return an inquiry as to why the Legislature did not fully fund the program. Crist said the Legislature did not provide an explanation to Maine State Library.

Some chapters still operate in Maine without state funding.

Nevada

Nevada does not have a statewide Imagination Library program. However, in October 2025, Storied, a local partner serving Clark County, announced that the Nevada Legislature did not renew a grant that started in 2023, as the Nevada Current reported (and Storied confirmed).

Meredith Helmick, executive director of Storied, said in an email that the organization was able to resume its program in July 2026, “but on a much smaller scale.”

“Kids will start receiving books in September,” Helmick said.

Helmick said Storied spent the 10-month hiatus applying for local and state grants and receiving donations from local private foundations and individuals. She hopes to “find a path towards statewide coverage or to at least bring the program in Clark County back to its previous levels.”

The Nevada Independent also reported that United Way Northern Nevada and the Sierra, a partner in Nevada’s Washoe County, lost state grant funding in 2025.

However, a United Way Northern Nevada and the Sierra spokesperson, Daniel Amaya, said in an email that it was “changes in federal funding and resources being allocated elsewhere” that resulted in a pause in its partnership with Imagination Library.

“The loss of federal funds to the State of Nevada directly impacts the amount of money the state can allocate,” Amaya said.

According to the Imagination Library’s website, Washoe County no longer has an operating Imagination Library presence. United Way is seeking donations to resume the program.

“Our hope and goal is to restart Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Northern Nevada as soon as we secure the funding needed,” Amaya said. “We look forward to the day we can turn the page and begin this important work again.” 

Did Trump or the federal government cut funding?

Federal funding indirectly provided support to local partners who worked with the Imagination Library, even though the federal government doesn’t directly fund the program.

Aside from Washoe County in Nevada, the Trump administration’s 2025 cuts to federal grant funds affected at least one other area: New Hampshire’s North Country, which is effectively the top half of the state.

Whitefield Public Library — the Imagination Library’s local partner in the North Country — first launched the program in 2025 after months of work, said Vashaw, the director of Whitefield Public Library.

Part of that work involved finding a financial partner who could cover the local partner costs for the program: an organization called the Education Alliance for New Hampshire.

After just a “handful of months” of that group running the program, however, the Trump administration rescinded federal grant funding that the Education Alliance relied on. The Education Alliance closed down.

“Their doors were shuttered, their programs closed with very little notice and that meant we had no funding,” Vashaw said. “We literally weren’t sure we were going to be able to pay the bills come January.”

The Department of Education declined to answer questions about these funds on the record.

After emergency fundraising, the Whitefield Public Library was able to keep the program going. As of this writing, 620 kids are enrolled, Vashaw said.

Vashaw said private fundraising isn’t on track for 2027. However, she’s hoping a bipartisan effort from New Hampshire lawmakers to make the Imagination Library available statewide will help keep the program going.