J.K. Rowling’s charity was renamed Lumos in 2010.
Rowling co-founded the organization in 2005 as the Children’s High Level Group with Emma Nicholson, a Member of the European Parliament. Its early work focused on improving conditions for children separated from their families, particularly children living in institutions in Central and Eastern Europe.
The organization adopted the name Lumos in 2010. The name refers to a light-producing charm in the Harry Potter books, but the charity’s work is real-world advocacy: it promotes family-based care and seeks to end the institutionalization of children.
The charity is often confused with a general children’s fundraising foundation. Lumos specifically campaigns against institutional care and supports family and community alternatives. Rowling has used the organization’s public profile to draw attention to the effects of institutionalization on children’s development and long-term wellbeing.