Republican leaders in the Tennessee House and Senate have committed to provide “100% funding” for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in the state’s 2027 budget.
The late country music icon’s signature nonprofit was founded in 1995 and has since provided more than 332 million free books to more than 3 million children across the U.S. and four other countries.
Days after Parton’s death, Dollywood Foundation vice chair and president Jeff Conyers issued a video statement saying in part, “We will continue to ensure that this gift is available for even more children in the years ahead.”
Remembrances and tributes to the late country legend continue to pour in, from musicians to politicians and beyond
As of 2025, nearly 70 percent of Tennessee children are enrolled in the Imagination Library program.
Tennessee has the funds to pay for the program because of the "state’s balanced budget and commitment to fiscal responsibility," according to a release from Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee Chair Bo Watson (R-Hixson).
“Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is one of Tennessee’s greatest gifts to the next generation,” Sexton says in the release. “What started in Tennessee is now in all 50 states. Millions of children have been inspired and discovered a love of reading because of Dolly. There is no better way to honor her extraordinary legacy than to ensure every single Tennessee child, in every county and in every community, continues to have access to the Imagination Library for generations to come.”
The Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation, launched in 2004 as a partner with the Imagination Library to expand book access, is accepting donations for book collections online here, and donations directly to the Imagination Library can be made online here.
“Dolly Parton has always been a pioneer in the movement to improve children’s lives through books and reading, and she has left a lasting legacy on the country,” Watson says in the release. “We are honored to continue the work she started through her Imagination Library.”
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
