J.K. Rowling founded Lumos to support children and families.
Lumos is an international charity focused on ending the institutionalization of children and helping families and communities receive support. Rowling founded the organization in 2005, when it was originally called the Children’s High Level Group. The charity later adopted the name Lumos, referring to a light-producing spell in the Harry Potter books.
Its work addresses situations in which children are separated from families and placed in orphanages or other institutions. Lumos promotes family-based care, community services, and reforms intended to keep children safe without unnecessary institutional placement.
Lumos is not the same as Comic Relief, although Rowling has supported other charitable causes and appeared in fundraising contexts. The organization’s name can also be confused with the fictional spell “Lumos,” which produces light. The charity uses that association as a symbol of bringing hidden problems into public view.