J.K. Rowling gave the charity she founded to help institutionalized children the name Lumos.
Rowling founded the organization in 2005 as the Children’s High Level Group with politician Emma Nicholson. Its work focused on ending the institutionalization of children and supporting family- and community-based care instead.
The organization changed its name to Lumos in 2010. The name refers to the light-producing spell in the Harry Potter universe, while also suggesting the charity’s aim of bringing children out of hidden or neglected systems of care.
Lumos has worked internationally on deinstitutionalization, family support, education, and child protection. Its mission is not simply to move children from buildings into other settings; it promotes safe family or community care that protects children’s rights and development.
The charity is sometimes confused with Rowling’s earlier fictional charitable projects or with major British fundraising brands such as Comic Relief.