The Allen County Public Library Foundation is proud to announce it has received a $10,000 grant from the Dr. Louis and Anne B. Schneider Foundation in support of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Allen County.
News release from the Allen County Public Library Foundation:
Allen County Public Library Foundation Receives $10,000 Grant to Support Imagination Library
Fort Wayne, Indiana (July 9, 2025) – The Allen County Public Library Foundation is proud to announce it has received a $10,000 grant from the Dr. Louis and Anne B. Schneider Foundation in support of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Allen County, a transformative early literacy program that provides free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five.
The grant will help the ACPL Foundation continue to grow this critical initiative, which launched in Allen County in October 2024. Since its inception, more than 7,300 children have already been enrolled in the program, receiving a new book delivered directly to their homes each month.
Dolly Parton reading to kids. Photo courtesy of the Allen County Public Library Foundation.
“In Allen County, there are nearly 26,000 children who qualify, and our goal is to raise enough funds that every one of them can benefit from this powerful program,” said ACPL Foundation Chairman Rich Beck. “Support from partners like the Dr. Louis and Anne B. Schneider Foundation is essential to ensuring long-term sustainability.”
In Allen County, the ACPL Foundation serves as the local affiliate, responsible for raising funds to cover the cost of books and mailing (approximately $31 per child per year). The library says it currently costs more than $15,000 per month. The program registers an average of 10 new children every day.
Mother reading to her child. Photo courtesy of the Allen County Public Library Foundation.
According to Beck, all Imagination Library donations are an investment in the future of Allen County: “Every time a book is delivered to a child, we’re increasing that child’s likelihood for economic and social success. We’re giving parents more tools to act as their child’s first teachers. We’re teaching children that learning is valuable and worthy of pursuit. That is the foundation on which Allen County’s future success will be built.”
About the Allen County Public Library
The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) has fostered lifelong learning and discovery in northeast Indiana for more than 135 years. The ACPL consists of fourteen branches throughout Allen County, serving more than one million visitors per year. The ACPL’s collection includes more than 3.9 million items, with a circulation total of 4.6 million items borrowed annually. It also houses The Genealogy Center, the nation’s largest public genealogy research center, and The Rolland Center for Lincoln Research, consisting of more than 30,000 artifacts related to President Abraham Lincoln.
