Indiana Dolly Parton's Imagination Library nears 90% of goal after state cuts

Indiana’s Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program has reached 90% of its two-year fundraising goal, Indiana’s First Lady Maureen Braun said on Tuesday, after launching her fundraising campaign last year. 

Braun has been tasked with keeping the program alive after her husband, Gov. Mike Braun, cut the funding from the state budget entirely in 2025. 

In 2023, Gov. Eric Holcomb expanded the program by allocating $6 million in the state’s biennium budget to ensure it could reach every county in Indiana. 

The national initiative provides books to children, free of charge, every month from birth through age five. It is meant to encourage parents to read to their children early to inspire a love of reading. 

First Lady Braun said during her annual fundraising breakfast that she’s proud of the amount of money that has been raised to date. 

“One of the reasons I'm so passionate about this cause is that the benefits of what we're doing aren't just for today, but they'll have an impact throughout these kids' lives,” Maureen Braun said. “The value of early childhood literacy compounds over a lifetime.”

First Lady Braun’s first significant donation to her fundraising campaign came last year when CenterPoint Energy donated $500,000.

Now, Maureen Braun says they are 90% to their fundraising cycle through June 2027. 

The governor’s office did not answer questions about how much funding has been raised to date or what the fundraising goal is. 

It’s unclear whether the statewide program can be sustained once the first lady’s fundraising cycle concludes in June 2027. 

There are currently over 143,000 Hoosier children enrolled in the program, according to Katie Mullins, Indiana’s community engagement coordinator for the Imagination Library. 

All of Indiana’s 92 counties are still offering the program, and families can learn more about how to sign up by visiting imaginationlibrary.com. 

Contact Government Reporter Caroline Beck at cbeck@wfyi.org