(105 ILCS 5/2-3.197)

Sec. 2-3.197. Imagination Library of Illinois; grant program. To promote the development of a comprehensive statewide initiative for encouraging preschool age children to develop a love of reading and learning, the State Board of Education is authorized to develop, fund, support, promote, and operate the Imagination Library of Illinois Program, which is hereby established. For purposes of this Section, "State program" means the Imagination Library of Illinois Program.

(a) State program funds shall be used to provide, through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, one age-appropriate book, per month, to each registered child from birth to age 5 in participating counties. Books shall be sent monthly to each registered child's home at no cost to families. Subject to an annual appropriation, the State Board of Education shall contribute the State's matching funds per the cost-sharing framework established by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for the State program. The State program shall contribute the 50% match of funds required of local programs participating in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Local program partners shall match the State program funds to provide the remaining 50% match of funds required by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

(1) The Imagination Library of Illinois Fund is hereby created as a special fund in the State Treasury. The State Board of Education may accept gifts, grants, awards, donations, matching contributions, appropriations, interest income, public or private bequests, and cost sharings from any individuals, businesses, governments, or other third-party sources, and any federal funds. All moneys received under this Section shall be deposited into the Imagination Library of Illinois Fund. Any moneys that are unobligated or unexpended at the end of a fiscal year shall remain in the Imagination Library of Illinois Fund, shall not lapse into the General Revenue Fund, and shall be available to the Board for expenditure in the next fiscal year, subject to appropriation. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, this Fund is not subject to sweeps, administrative chargebacks, or any other fiscal or budgetary maneuver that in any way would transfer any amount from this Fund into any other fund of the State.

(2) Moneys received under this Section are subject to appropriation by the General Assembly and may only be expended for purposes consistent with the conditions under which the moneys were received, including, but not limited to, the following:

(i) Moneys in the Fund shall be used to provide age-appropriate books on a monthly basis, at home, to each child registered in the Imagination Library of Illinois Program, from birth through their fifth birthday, at no cost to families, through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

(ii) Subject to availability, moneys in the Fund shall be allocated to qualified local entities that provide a dollar-for-dollar match for the program. As used in this Section, "qualified local entity" means any existing or new local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library affiliate.

(iii) Moneys in the Fund may be used by the State Board of Education to pay for administrative expenses of the State program, including associated operating expenses of the State Board of Education or any nonprofit entity that coordinates the State program pursuant to subsection (b).

(b) The State Board of Education shall coordinate with a nonprofit entity qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to operate the State program. That organization must be organized solely to promote and encourage reading by the children of the State, for the purpose of implementing this Section.

(c) The State Board of Education shall provide oversight of the nonprofit entity that operates the State program pursuant to subsection (b) to ensure the nonprofit entity does all of the following:

(1) Promotes the statewide development of local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs.

(2) Advances and strengthens local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs with the goal of increasing enrollment.

(3) Develops community engagement.

(4) Develops, promotes, and coordinates a public awareness campaign to make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to the affiliate programs and make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligible children to receive books through the program.

(5) Administers the local match requirement and coordinates the collection and remittance of local program costs for books and mailing.

(6) Develops statewide marketing and communication plans.

(7) Solicits donations, gifts, and other funding from statewide partners to financially support local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs.

(8) Identifies and applies for available grant awards.

(d) The State Board of Education shall make publicly available on an annual basis information regarding the number of local programs that exist, where the local programs are located, the number of children that are enrolled in the program, the number of books that have been provided, and those entities or organizations that serve as local partners.

(e) The State Board of Education may adopt rules as may be needed for the administration of the Imagination Library of Illinois Program.

(Source: P.A. 103-8, eff. 6-7-23.)