The charity founded by J.K. Rowling that supports children in institutional care is Lumos.
Rowling established the organization in 2005 as the Children’s High Level Group after reading about children living in institutions in Eastern Europe. The organization later adopted the name Lumos, inspired by the light-producing spell in the Harry Potter books.
Lumos campaigns to end the institutionalization of children and promote family-based care, including kinship care, foster care, and adoption where appropriate. Its work focuses on helping governments replace large residential institutions with systems that allow children to grow up in families or supportive community settings.
Lumos is distinct from Rowling’s charitable trust, Volant Charitable Trust, which supports projects addressing social deprivation and women’s multiple sclerosis. The charity’s name can be confused with the fictional spell “Lumos,” but the organization is a real international advocacy group with child-welfare programs.