The Cram Foundation

What The Cram Foundation does

The Cram Foundation is a not-for-profit disability services organisation headquartered in Shellharbour City Centre, New South Wales, Australia, founded in 1932. It operates as a registered NDIS provider serving participants in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions through an integrated service portfolio that includes Supported Independent Living (SIL), Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), Medium Term Accommodation, personal care, social and community participation, support coordination, nursing, and transportation. The organisation also develops and owns accessible housing stock, including purpose-built High Physical Support Villas and Improved Liveability Homes, and applies a proprietary SDA Star Rating System grounded in United Nations Universal Design Principles, reporting an 85% pass rate on its owned properties.

The business model is government-funded and managed-services in nature: Cram enters into service agreements with NDIS participants and receives funding at NDIS Price Guide rates for eligible supports. Demand is structurally tied to the Australian NDIS, with no commercial product revenue or B2B contracts disclosed. The organisation has 251-500 employees and is governed by a board of seven directors chaired by Bill Dowson OAM, with CEO Alisha Musker leading a six-person executive team built out between 2020 and 2023. Distribution is direct and regional, supported by a website, Facebook, and Instagram presence, with no third-party resellers or partner channel.

Operationally, Cram has shifted from institutional care to community-based supported living over its 92-year history, including a 2017 transition to the NDIS funding model and a 2018 launch of the SDA line. The most recent strategic activity is the 2024 expansion of four new homes in Dapto and a transitioned home in Albion Park, continuing a multi-year cadence of property additions in Albion Park, Wongawilli, and Shellharbour. No public revenue, funding, or M&A activity is disclosed.

Name

The Cram Foundation

Legal name

The Cram Foundation

Website

https://cramfoundation.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Cram Foundation is a not-for-profit, registered NDIS provider headquartered in Shellharbour, NSW, delivering Supported Independent Living, Specialist Disability Accommodation, and disability support services to participants across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions of Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Disability support services
• Supported independent living
• Specialist disability accommodation
• NDIS registered provider
• In-home disability care

Headquarters

HQ city

Shellharbour

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. NDIS Funded Disability Support Services: The Cram Foundation generates revenue primarily through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). As a registered NDIS provider, they receive funding for Supported Independent Living (SIL), Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), Medium Term Accommodation, personal care, health support, nursing services, transportation, social and community participation, and coordination of supports. Services are delivered under service agreements with participants, with fees adhering to NDIS Price Guide rates.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Cram Foundation is a registered NDIS provider that delivers disability support services to participants in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions of NSW, Australia. Its core offerings are Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), complemented by Personal Care and Daily Living assistance, Support Coordination, Social and Community Participation, registered Nursing/Health Support, and Medium Term Accommodation, all delivered under NDIS-funded service agreements.

Product overview

The Cram Foundation offers a unified suite of disability support services focused on Supported Independent Living and Specialist Disability Accommodation across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions. The core portfolio includes Supported Independent Living (SIL) for independent living support, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) with high-quality accessible homes rated under UN Universal Design Principles, Personal Care & Daily Living assistance, Support Coordination for NDIS navigation, Social and Community Participation programs, Health Support nursing services, and Medium Term Accommodation. These services work together as an integrated support ecosystem, combining housing solutions with daily living assistance, healthcare, and community engagement to help participants live independently and achieve their life goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Supported Independent Living (SIL) Tailored support services helping NDIS participants live independently in homes suited to their preferences, whether in family homes or shared living arrangements.
• Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) High-quality, accessible homes across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions for individuals with high and complex support needs, including one-bedroom villas, two-bedroom apartments, and larger shared homes, rated under UN Universal Design Principles.
• Personal Care & Daily Living Assistance with personal care including grooming, hygiene, medication management, meal preparation, household tasks, communication, mobility, shopping, transport, and attending appointments.
• Support Coordination Navigating the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to help participants develop personalised plans, connect with the right providers, and achieve their goals.
• Social and Community Participation Recreational and creative development activities helping participants attend social groups, sports, leisure activities, cultural outings, educational courses, and volunteer or employment roles.
• Health Support (Nursing Services) Registered nurses with disability expertise providing healthcare protocols and identifying when participants need health professionals such as doctors, occupational therapists, or specialists.
• Medium Term Accommodation Temporary accommodation solutions for NDIS participants between permanent housing arrangements.
• High Physical Support Villa Purpose-built SDA property featuring communal kitchen and living areas, dedicated accessible indoor and outdoor spaces, suitable for residents with high physical support needs.
• Improved Liveability Home Accessible SDA home with shared kitchen and living spaces, purpose-built accessible indoor and outdoor areas for individuals requiring improved liveability accommodations.
• Disability Support Worker Service Qualified support workers providing assistance with daily activities, personal care, community participation, and capacity building for people with disabilities.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves23 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Yooralla: Victorian disability services non-profit providing supported independent living, accommodation and community participation — comparable integrated NDIS service stack but operating primarily in a different state, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.
• Endeavour Foundation: Queensland-based disability services non-profit operating SDA, SIL and community participation programs — comparable integrated NDIS service model but focused on a different state, so it competes for benchmark and talent rather than participants.

Direct peers

• Achieve Australia: NSW disability services non-profit delivering supported independent living, accommodation and community participation — closely mirrors Cram's integrated SIL/SDA/Community Participation offering in a similar metropolitan/regional footprint.
• Sunnyfield: Registered NDIS provider operating supported independent living, specialist disability accommodation and community participation programs primarily across NSW and the ACT — directly comparable mission, funding model and product stack.
• Ability Options: NSW-based registered NDIS provider delivering supported independent living, accommodation, community participation and employment services — directly comparable NDIS-registered service mix operating in similar regional NSW markets.
• Northcott: Large NSW-based registered NDIS provider offering accommodation, daily living and community participation supports across multiple regions — directly comparable service mix and NDIS revenue model to Cram, though at significantly larger scale.
• Cerebral Palsy Alliance: Long-established NSW disability services organisation providing accommodation, therapy and community participation under NDIS — directly comparable integrated service model and strong brand presence in overlapping NSW catchments.

Broad incumbents

• Life Without Barriers: Major national NDIS and community services provider delivering disability accommodation, support coordination and community participation — comparable service lines with substantially broader geographic and operational scale.
• Aruma: One of Australia's largest NDIS-registered disability service providers (formerly House with No Steps), offering SIL, SDA and community services nationally — broader scale and geography, but overlapping service portfolio and NDIS funding dependency.

Emerging players

• Mable: NDIS-registered platform connecting participants directly with independent support workers — competes for the same participant funding pool and emphasises flexibility versus traditional provider models like Cram.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheCRAMFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecramfoundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cram Foundation