Lumos is the charity created by J.K. Rowling to support children and families.
Rowling founded the organization in 2005 as the Children’s High Level Group, with the goal of improving conditions for children separated from their families. It was renamed Lumos in 2010. The name refers to a light-producing spell in the Harry Potter books and suggests bringing hidden problems into view.
Lumos campaigns against the institutionalization of children and promotes family-based care, community services, and support that keeps children connected to relatives whenever possible. Its work has included advocacy and programs in countries where children may be placed in large residential institutions.
Lumos is separate from Comic Relief, which benefited from Rowling’s companion books Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages. The charity’s name is also not the name of a fictional Hogwarts institution; it is a real nonprofit organization.