State funding shifts, not a national cut, hit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Rumors of a nationwide defunding of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library after Parton’s death are not accurate. Funding changes are happening at the state level: Indiana and Missouri (governed by Republicans) and Maine and Washington (Democratic control) reduced or ended state support in the past year, while Nevada did not renew several grants for local partners. The federal government does not directly fund the program, though some local partners lost federal education grants during the Trump administration. Several states have turned to private funding, and Oregon codified statewide support in 2026. Overall, the program remains widely funded and reachable (about one in six U.S. children under age five still receive books), with variances driven by state budgets and private philanthropy rather than a single nationwide cut.
