Missouri Just Cut Funding for Dolly Parton’s Program That Sends Free Books to 170,000 Kids

Every month, more than 170,000 Missouri children receive : a free, age-appropriate book in the mail — from the time they were born until they turn five. No cost. No catch. Just a book, chosen with care, delivered to their door. Missouri lawmakers just voted to cut the funding that makes this effort possible by more than half.

Under the state's 2027 budget, funding for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library will drop from $6 million to just $2 million. The program, which Missouri launched statewide in 2023, will stop accepting new children starting July 1. And for the kids already enrolled, books will continue only as funding allows — which, according to Michelle Anthony, regional director for the Dollywood Foundation, could run out within four months.

That means by fall, even enrolled children could stop receiving their books.

What Is the Imagination Library?

Dolly Parton started the Imagination Library in 1995 in her hometown of Sevier County, Tennessee — the same community where she grew up. The idea was straightforward: every child, regardless of their family's income, deserves to grow up with books in their hands and a love of reading in their heart.

The program mails one carefully selected, age-appropriate book every month to enrolled children from birth through age five. Families pay nothing. Today, the Imagination Library sends more than 3 million books a month to children across the United States and in countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland.

Missouri joined as a statewide partner in 2023. Since then, more than 4.3 million books have been distributed to Missouri children, according to Lucas Bond, chief communications officer for the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. By 2025, Missouri was one of only 11 states providing full government funding and statewide access to the program.

That commitment is now at risk.

What Families Need to Know About the Cut Funding

Starting July 1, the program will be closed to new enrollments. If your child is not already signed up, they will not be able to join — at least not until funding is restored or an alternative solution is in place.

For children currently enrolled, books will continue for now. But the Dollywood Foundation has warned local partners that the program faces serious financial challenges in the coming fiscal year, and existing funds are expected to last only about four more months.

What happens after December — when the state's contract with the Imagination Library expires — is still unknown. The state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has said it is unclear how the program will operate going forward. In states that don't have full funding, responsibility often shifts to local organizations and counties to secure resources and ensure continued access for children and families.

What You Can Do

The budget has passed the legislature but has not yet been signed by the Governor. That means there is still time to act.

Missouri families, educators, faith communities, and neighbors who believe every child deserves access to books are encouraged to contact the Governor's office and ask them to restore full funding for the Imagination Library before the budget is finalized.

Local organizations can also explore becoming Imagination Library affiliates. The program works through a partnership model — local partners are responsible for enrolling children, promoting the program, and helping cover costs of approximately $2.60 per child each month, while the national program handles book selection, purchasing, and monthly mailings. Because local partners cover those costs, families receive their books entirely free of charge.

Missouri's children didn't create this budget crisis. They shouldn't be the ones paying for it.