irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2020
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $300KDEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS/ DIRECT SERVICES:1. A TOTAL OF 36 CHILDREN WERE SUPPORTED WITH CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES IN GUATEMALA. THIS INCLUDED 13 CHILDREN REFERRED TO THE PROGRAMME AFTER EXPERIENCING FORCED SEPARATION AND DETENTION IN THE US, PLUS 23 SIBLINGS. A TOTAL OF 22 PARENTS / ADULT CAREGIVERS ALSO RECEIVED CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO STRENGTHEN THE FAMILY AND MITIGATE THE RISK OF BREAKDOWN AND ADMISSION OF CHILDREN INTO INSTITUTIONAL CARE. THIS WORK WAS DELIVERED BY A LOCAL SOCIAL WORK ORGANIZATION WITH OVERSIGHT FROM OUR PARTNER INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SERVICE USA - LUMOS HAD PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED TRAINING AND FUNDING.
- #2 $98KRESEARCH:1. AS PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM CHANGING THE WAY WE CARE, LUMOS USA CARRIED OUT RESEARCH TO MAP AND ANALYZE THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC FUNDING FLOWING TO CHILDREN'S INSTITUTIONS IN KENYA. BY COMBINING A RANGE OF QUANTITATIVE METHODS, THIS RESEARCH SEEKS TO ADDRESS A CRUCIAL GAP IN THE EVIDENCE BASE ON HOW CHILDREN'S INSTITUTIONS ARE FUNDED IN KENYA AND WILL SERVE AS AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR REGIONAL ADVOCACY. IN 2020, THE US RESEARCH ANALYST SUPPORTED THIS RESEARCH BY CONDUCTING DESK RESEARCH ON PRIVATE FUNDING FLOWS. SHE LED ON THE DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL FUNDING AS WELL AS CORPORATE SUPPORT FROM KENYAN COMPANIES FOR CHILDREN'S INSTITUTIONS IN THE COUNTRY, ADDRESSING AN IMPORTANT EVIDENCE-GAP. 2. LUMOS USA CARRIED OUT QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSTITUTIONAL CARE AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND ITS MANIFESTATIONS IN DIVERSE CONTEXTS WORLDWIDE. IN 2020, THIS CULMINATED IN THE PUBLICATION OF CRACKS IN THE SYSTEM, A RESEARCH REPORT ON INSTITUTION-RELATED TRAFFICKING IN EUROPE. IN 2021, THE GLOBAL THEMATIC REVIEW ON CHILDREN'S INSTITUTIONS AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING WILL BE PUBLISHED. THESE TWO REPORTS WILL BE USED FOR LUMOS' GLOBAL ADVOCACY ON ANTI-TRAFFICKING AND VOLUNTOURISM. THE US RESEARCH ANALYST PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE DATA COLLECTION, THEMATIC ANALYSIS AND REPORT DRAFTING FOR BOTH REPORTS. SHE LED ON THE THEMATIC ORGANIZATION AND ANALYSIS OF GREY AND ACADEMIC LITERATURE. MOREOVER, SHE CARRIED OUT VARIOUS CASE STUDIES ON INSTITUTION-RELATED TRAFFICKING, FOR WHICH SHE UNDERTOOK SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS. FURTHERMORE, US RESEARCH ANALYST DRAFTED THE REPORT NARRATIVE ON THE GLOBAL SCALE, PATTERNS AND DYNAMICS OF INSTITUTION-RELATED TRAFFICKING.3. THE AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK IS THE PRIMARY REGIONAL LENDING FACILITY FOR OF DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS IN THE REGION. LUMOS US RESEARCH ANALYST CARRIED OUT INITIAL EXPLORATION OF POLICIES AND PRACTICE AS BECAUSE OF THE STRATEGIC ROLE IN WHICH THE BANK OCCUPIES, IT IS PERTINENT TO ENSURE THAT THE BANK'S BROAD FUNDING CAPABILITIES ARE NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY SUPPORTING OR PROMOTING THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF CHILDREN IN ANY CAPACITY. AS INITIAL SCOPING DID NOT INDICATE ANY MAJOR AREAS FOR CONCERN, AND LUMOS USA HAD REDUCED CAPACITY, THE PROJECT WAS DEPRIORITIZED.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
National Care Reform Strategy (Kenya)
Supported development and approval of Kenya’s National Care Reform Strategy in partnership with UNICEF and other stakeholders
Prevention & Reintegration
Supports families to prevent child separation and enables reintegration of children from institutions into family-based care through case management and family strengthening services
Research on Institutional Care and Human Trafficking
Conducts research on the links between institutional care and human trafficking, including publication of the report "Cracks in the System" on Europe
Strengthening Child Protection & Welfare Systems
Partners with governments to reform national child protection systems, improve legal frameworks, and reallocate funding toward family-based care
Youth Advisory Boards
Establishes national youth advisory boards in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Moldova to involve young people with lived experience in governance and advocacy
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Child Care and Early Childhood Policy Advocacy 1 activity
- Advocate for policy reform to end child institutionalizationEngage governments, UN agencies, and civil society to transform child care systems and redirect funding from institutions to family- and community-based care. Influenced policy changes that redirected €2.7 billion in European funds and contributed to Kenya’s National Care Reform Strategy and a UN General Assembly Resolution on children's rights.
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Youth and Community Research Initiatives 1 activity
- Conduct research on child institutionalization and care systemsProduce evidence-based research and publications on the harms of institutional care, including co-authoring three major papers in The Lancet (2020), publishing "Cracks in the System" on human trafficking, and conducting case studies and funding flow analyses in Kenya and Europe.
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Child Welfare Professional Training & Capacity Building 1 activity
- Deliver training and capacity-building programs for care professionalsTrain social workers, teachers, medical professionals, foster carers, and policymakers in family-based care and child protection practices. Trained over 9,400 professionals in Czechia and 812 in Ukraine, and provided foster care training in Moldova.
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Training and Capacity Building for Trauma-Informed Student Support 1 activity
- Launch inclusive education and mental health programs for children in careImplement inclusive education courses in Ukraine to train professionals in supporting children based on strengths and needs, and facilitate peer-to-peer mental health support among youth in care.
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Direct Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children 1 activity
- Reunite children with families and prevent institutionalization through direct servicesProvide case management, humanitarian aid, and family reunification services to children at risk of or affected by institutional care, including in Ukraine, Moldova, Haiti, and Guatemala. Supported over 280,000 children globally to live in family environments instead of institutions over 20 years.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Fund and support partner organizations to deliver care reform programsFund demonstration programs and direct services through grants to local partners, including $300,000 in grants in Guatemala and technical and financial support to Fundamor in Colombia for the reintegration of 52 children with HIV into family-based care.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$303K
Contributions & grants$293K97%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$3360%
Other revenue$10K
expenses
Total expenses$174K
Program expenses0%
Admin / overhead31%
Fundraising69%
Salaries & benefits$98K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$5.33M
Cash$1.04M
Investments$0
Liabilities$2.69M
Net assets$2.64M
Liquid reserves71.6 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -78.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 5
- COLLEEN BERNS — CHAIRMAN (STARTED 9/24)
- DALE CENDALI — BOARD MEMBER (STARTED 12/24)
- HOWARD TAYLOR — SECRETARY (STARTED 12/24)
- LESLIE LITTLE — CHAIRMAN (FROM 1/24 TO 9/24)
- PETER MCDERMOTT — SECRETARY (FROM 1/24 TO 11/24)
relationships · 31
Who they work with
- Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic Government — World-leading research and treatment center for Multiple Sclerosis in Scotland, founded in honor of J.K. Rowling's mother.
- Beira’s Place Partner — Sexual violence support service for women in Edinburgh, co-founded and funded by J.K. Rowling.
- Bonnie Wright Partner — Celebrity ambassador who traveled to Haiti to learn about orphanages and support Lumos' work in family reunification.
- Colombian Government Partner — Works with Lumos Colombia to transition child care systems from institutions to family and community-based care.
- European Union Government — Partnered with Lumos to redirect funding from orphanages to community-based services for children.
- European Union Partner — Works with the European Union to transform outdated systems that separate families and improve child care.
- Evanna Lynch Partner — Celebrity ambassador who visited Lumos programs in Haiti, advocated for campaigns, and lent her voice to audiobooks and BBC Radio 4 appeal.
- Fundamor Partner — Partnered with Lumos to transition from institutional to family-based care for children living with HIV in Colombia.
- Harvard University Partner — Institution with which Lumos shares proceeds from the book _Very Good Lives_, supporting both Lumos and university-wide financial aid.
- International Social Service USA Partner — Oversaw delivery of case management services in Guatemala; supported by Lumos Foundation USA Inc with prior training and funding.
- J.K. Rowling Partner — Founder of Lumos
- Jason Isaacs Partner — Celebrity ambassador who met youth participants at the Annual Lumos Youth Forum in London.
- Kyiv Municipality Partner — Collaborated with Lumos to provide life-saving assistance during the war in Ukraine.
- Lumos Colombia Partner — Works with Lumos Colombia to enable youth advocates to share experiences at events and conferences to transform child protection systems.
- Lumos Kenya Partner — Collaborates with Lumos Kenya to support youth-driven research and advocacy for family-based care in Embu County.
- Lumos Moldova Partner — Collaborates with Lumos Moldova on youth-led advocacy and coalition-building for care reform.
- Lumos Moldova Partner — Implemented foster care training program in Moldova.
- Lumos Ukraine Partner — Co-developed and launched an inclusive education course in Ukraine.
- Lumos Ukraine Partner — Partners with Lumos Ukraine to deliver peer-to-peer mental health support and youth-led care reform initiatives.
- National Care Reform Center Partner — Lumos advocacy represented at the National Care Reform Center in Ukraine.
- Noma Dumezweni Partner — Celebrity ambassador who provided narrative voice for case study features on foster care and participated in Lumos competitions.
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor Partner — Celebrity ambassador who visited orphanages in Ukraine and Moldova, advocating for deinstitutionalization and family reunification.
- UCRN Partner — Lumos advocacy represented at UCRN in Ukraine.
- UNICEF Partner — Collaborated with Lumos and other partners to develop Kenya’s National Care Reform Strategy.
- United Nations Partner — Collaborates with United Nations experts in child care reform efforts.
- United Nations Partner — Engaged children supported by Lumos in discussions with the United Nations regarding care systems.
- United Nations agencies Partner — Collaborates with United Nations agencies to transform systems that separate families and improve child care.
- Volant Funder — Charitable trust through which J.K. Rowling supports humanitarian causes, including Lumos.
- Warwick Davis Partner — Celebrity ambassador who visited Lumos programs in Moldova and highlighted the importance of family-based care over institutionalization.
- Zhytomyr Regional State Administration Government — Hosted Yaroslav Laguta in leadership roles and collaborated on child care reform strategy development.
+ 1 more
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Collaborative Systems Change with Local Partnersmethodology: collaborative_systems_changeBy building the capacity of local organizations and governments through training, funding, and shared expertise, we achieve sustainable reform, because locally-led change supported by global knowledge is more adaptable, legitimate, and enduring.
- Deinstitutionalization through Systems Transformationmethodology: deinstitutionalizationBy transitioning child care systems from institutional to family and community-based models, we improve child well-being and prevent family separation, because family environments are fundamentally safer and more nurturing than orphanages — and systemic reform ensures sustainable change.
- Empathy-Centered Design Based on Lived Experiencemethodology: empathy_centered_service_designBy centering the lived experiences of children and families in service design, we create more effective and humane support systems, because empathetic, person-centered approaches lead to solutions that reflect real needs rather than bureaucratic assumptions.
- Family Strengthening to Prevent Separationmethodology: family_strengtheningBy strengthening early intervention, social, and educational services for at-risk families, we prevent child-family separation and reduce institutionalization, because addressing root causes like poverty and disability support needs enables families to safely care for their children.
- Youth-Led Co-Production in Care Reformmethodology: co-production_with_lived_experienceBy involving children and young people with lived experience as equal partners in decision-making and advocacy, we create more effective and legitimate reforms, because their personal testimony and leadership uniquely influence policymakers and reshape services in ways expert-driven approaches cannot.