The Luminos Fund is an international education nonprofit that provides transformative education programs to thousands of out-of-school children, helping them to catch up to grade level, reintegrate into government schools, and prepare for lifelong learning.

In just one school year, we teach students to read and do math – to learn how to learn – through a joyful, activity-based curriculum. Learn more about what we do and our results. 

Our Origin Story

In 2016, Legatum, a partnership comprised of Christopher Chandler, Mark Stoleson, Alan McCormick, and Philip Vassiliou, which oversees a global investment business and innovative philanthropic arm, founded the Luminos Fund as a pooled funding vehicle. Legatum created Luminos to carry forward successful education projects they incubated and scaled in West Africa between 2007 and 2010, and then adapted for rural Ethiopia starting in 2011. Working through a network of community-based organizations, with the University of Sussex as a long-term evaluation partner, Legatum developed a uniquely impactful approach to help out-of-school children catch up and thrive.  

Legatum’s vision is to build a prosperity movement that seeks to unlock every individual’s infinite value by removing obstacles and creating an environment where all can thrive. As such, Luminos is another valuable addition to Legatum’s legacy of philanthropy, which includes the END Fund and the Freedom Fund. Over the past 20 years, Legatum has developed a distinctive approach to charitable giving, guided by a belief in the power of collaborative philanthropy working in concert with community-based organizations, recognizing the vital role of proximate leaders. Through unrestricted, strategic support, Legatum provides core funding that empowers organizations to make a lasting impact. Their entrepreneurial spirit is evident as they embrace the importance of continuous improvement and iterative design to drive transformative social change. 

Our origin story reflects a deep commitment to the relentless pursuit of quality education for all, in Africa and beyond.