Ten Magical Charities to Donate to This Holiday Season
It’s the time of year for gift-giving, and donating to charity is a magical way to help others! Since we are a Harry Potter fansite, we’ve rounded up a list of ten charities whose aims are close to the values displayed in the Harry Potter series. We hope that this information helps you to begin your research into which charity’s mission best aligns with your own values.
Lumos
Lumos, which is J.K. Rowling’s own children’s charity, has the mission of ending institutionalization worldwide by 2050. Lumos works in numerous countries, with offices in the US and UK. Additionally, it makes a “100% Pledge” to its donors, which means that 100% of donations go directly toward the cause. This is made possible in part by the proceeds from The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
Learn more about donating to Lumos here.
The Harry Potter Alliance
The Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) is a fan-created non-profit organization that works toward improving equality, human rights, and literacy through fandom-related campaigns.
Learn more about donating to the HPA here.
UN Women
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is “the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.” Its work helps to promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as they pertain to women and girls.
Emma Watson is the current UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. Find out more about getting involved with UN Women.
Comic Relief
The mission of UK-based charity Comic Relief is “to drive positive change through the power of entertainment,” with the goal of tackling poverty.
J.K. Rowling has raised over £17 million for Comic Relief from the sales of the real-world versions of Quidditch Through The Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Learn more about donating to its cause here.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is a global non-governmental organization that works to end human rights abuses. Its work includes research, advocacy, lobbying, and campaigning regarding issues including armed conflict, discrimination, and international justice, to name a few.
J.K. Rowling once worked at Amnesty’s London office, where she “[did] research into human rights abuses in the French-speaking countries of Africa.” Find out more about donating to Amnesty here.
Book Aid International
Book Aid International is “the UK’s leading international book donation and library development charity.” Its work takes place primarily in Africa, as well as in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Book Aid International’s current president, Nigel Newton, founded Bloomsbury Publishing, which publishes the Harry Potter books for the UK market. Learn how to support Book Aid International here.
ABF The Soldiers’ Charity
ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is the National Charity of the British Army.
After it was uncovered that J.K. Rowling was actually Robert Galbraith, the author of The Cuckoo’s Calling, she pledged to donate her royalties from the book to the Soldiers’ Charity. Learn more about donating to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity here.
The Anne Rowling Clinic
The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic is “a charitable University of Edinburgh research facility focusing on a wide range of neurological conditions, especially neurodegenerative diseases.” It was founded through a £10 million donation by J.K. Rowling and named after her mother, Anne Rowling, who died of complications from multiple sclerosis in 1990.
You can learn more about getting involved with or making a donation to the Anne Rowling Clinic here.
English PEN
English PEN is “the founding centre of a global literary network.” It works to defend writers whose freedom of expression is being put at risk, to improve access to literature for marginalized groups, and to promote the translation of foreign-language works of literature into English.
The proceeds from the auction of the unofficial James and Sirius prequel went to both English PEN and Dyslexia Action. Learn more about supporting English PEN here.
Gingerbread
Gingerbread is a UK-based charity that assists single-parent families through a variety of means, including job skills training and campaigning to influence policy.
J.K. Rowling first became involved with Gingerbread as its ambassador, and she now serves as its president. Learn more about donating to Gingerbread here.
Have you donated to any of these charities this holiday season?
