Republicans this year quietly cut millions of dollars of funding for the late and beloved Dolly Parton's children's book charity, according to multiple reports.
Imagination Library, the nonprofit founded by Parton that sends free books to children across the world, faces an uncertain future in Indiana and Missouri as Republican lawmakers limit public funding, Newsweek reported Wednesday.
The charity, meanwhile, has vowed to carry on.
"The work ahead has never felt more meaningful, and we will carry it forward as she lifts us all up," the charity said in a recent post. "Dolly, we will always love you."
State funding for the program was removed from Indiana's budget last year at a time when more than 125,000 local children were enrolled, according to Newsweek.
Missouri froze enrollment in the Imagination Library on July 1 after the program was subjected to a major budget cut, a local news outlet reported.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library received just $2 million in state funding for fiscal year 2027 — down from $6 million in 2026, according to that report.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has distributed more than 300 million books since it was founded and serves more than 3 million children, according to Newsweek.
Parton's family announced Tuesday she'd died after a brief battle with cancer.
