J.K. Rowling created the Volant Charitable Trust in 2000. The trust was established to support projects addressing social deprivation, with particular attention to women, children, and young people.
The organization’s name comes from Volant, the company through which Rowling has conducted parts of her charitable and business activity. It is separate from Lumos, the international charity Rowling founded in 2005 to help end the institutionalization of children and support family-based care.
This distinction is a common source of confusion because both organizations are associated with Rowling and both support vulnerable children. The Volant Charitable Trust is a grant-making charitable trust, while Lumos developed a broader international mission focused on reforming systems that place children in institutions.
Rowling has also supported multiple other causes, including research and treatment related to multiple sclerosis. Her charitable work therefore involves several organizations rather than one single foundation, making the founding year and name important when identifying the Volant trust specifically.