J.K. Rowling founded Lumos to support children in institutions.
The organization was established in 2005 as the Children’s High Level Group and was renamed Lumos in 2010. Its work focuses on ending the institutionalization of children and helping them move toward family- and community-based care.
The charity’s name comes from the Harry Potter books, where “Lumos” is a wand-lighting spell. In the real world, Lumos advocates for systems that keep children safely connected with families or provide appropriate family-like care rather than large institutions.
A common mix-up is treating Lumos as a general literacy charity. Its central mission concerns children separated from families and the reform of institutional care. Rowling has supported the organization through philanthropy and public advocacy, while Lumos operates as an independent charitable organization with programs and campaigns in multiple countries.