Backpacks 4 SA Kids

What Backpacks 4 SA Kids does

Backpacks 4 SA Kids is a South Australia-based registered charity, founded in 2006 and operating with a small staff of 7, that delivers emergency supplies to children and young people during periods of displacement from home. The organization runs four distinct programs: Backpacks (for children aged 0-18 taken into care), Home Starter Packs (for families starting again and youth transitioning out of care), Anchor Packs (for young people aged 12-24 experiencing homelessness), and a Christmas Program (presents for displaced children). Distribution occurs through referral partnerships with child welfare, child protection, family violence and homelessness agencies, alongside drop-off locations for donation collection across South Australia.

The underlying operating model is volunteer- and donation-driven rather than technology-driven. Infrastructure is anchored by a 2,500sqm warehouse in Salisbury on a 50-year lease from the City of Salisbury, used for collection, sorting and packing of physical supply kits. The technology footprint is minimal: a basic charity operations and donation management system, social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, an email newsletter, and direct deposit infrastructure. There is no mobile app, no public API, no disclosed integrations, and no proprietary digital platform.

The revenue model is donations-only, with suggested tiers of A$145 for a backpack, A$180 for an Anchor Pack and A$400 for a Home Starter Pack, plus ad-hoc contributions of any amount; all donations are tax-deductible. The most significant disclosed capital event is a A$500,000 grant from the Government of South Australia in January 2026 toward warehouse construction, complementing the long-tenure City of Salisbury land lease. Cumulative reported impact since founding stands at 124,856 human impacts, with anticipated annual supply of 6,000 backpacks, 600 Anchor Packs and 550 Home Starter Packs.

Name

Backpacks 4 SA Kids

Legal name

Backpacks 4 SA Kids

Website

https://backpacks4sakids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Backpacks 4 SA Kids is a South Australian registered charity that delivers Backpacks, Home Starter Packs, Anchor Packs and a Christmas Program to children and young people displaced from home, distributed through partner welfare and homelessness agencies and funded by tax-deductible donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare and Emergency Relief Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Child welfare support
• Emergency relief supplies
• Donation services
• Homelessness assistance
• Care pack distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Salisbury

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Receives monetary donations from individuals and organizations. All donations are tax-deductible. Standard donation amounts include $145 for a backpack, $180 for an Anchor Pack, and $400 for larger contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Backpacks 4 SA Kids collects donated goods and funds to assemble and distribute care packs to displaced children across South Australia. The four core programs are Backpacks (with emergency clothing, toiletries, and supplies), Home Starter Packs, Anchor Packs, and a Christmas Program. Distribution is channelled through partner welfare agencies to children in crisis.

Product overview

Backpacks 4 SA Kids operates as a unified charitable giving platform offering four distinct programs that work together to support displaced children and young people. The core offering consists of Backpacks (emergency supplies for children aged 0-18 taken into care), Home Starter Packs (for families starting again), Anchor Packs (for homeless youth aged 12-24), and a Christmas Program (presents for displaced children). These programs are distributed through partner agencies and drop-off locations across South Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Backpacks: Backpacks for children aged 0-18 who are taken into care, containing emergency clothing, toiletries, and other necessary supplies.
• Home Starter Packs
• Anchor Packs
• Christmas Program

Products and services

• Backpacks program Backpacks filled with emergency clothing, toiletries, and essential supplies, distributed to displaced children in South Australia via partner welfare agencies.
• Home Starter Packs Starter packs of essential household items assembled to support families transitioning out of crisis or displacement into stable housing.
• Anchor Packs Ongoing support packs provided to children and families in continuing welfare situations to provide sustained, regular essentials.
• Christmas Program Seasonal Christmas program delivering gifts and festive care items to displaced children in South Australia during the holiday period.

Quantifiable outcome

• 124,856 human impacts made to date
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Child welfare agenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork in conjunction with child welfare agencies to identify and serve displaced children who need emergency supplies.
• Child protection agenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork in conjunction with child protection agencies to identify and serve displaced children who need emergency supplies.
• Family violence agenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork in conjunction with family violence agencies to provide support and emergency supplies to affected families.
• Homelessness agenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork in conjunction with homelessness agencies to provide Anchor Packs to young people aged 12-24 experiencing homelessness.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Together We Rise: U.S. nonprofit providing supplies and backpacks to foster children and youth in care; closely mirrors the 'Backpacks' and 'Home Starter Pack' mission to ease displacement of foster and at-risk youth.
• Baby2Baby: U.S. nonprofit that distributes basic necessities (clothing, diapers, supplies) to children living in poverty through partner agencies — the same agency-referral distribution model used by Backpacks 4 SA Kids.
• Backpack Bed for the Homeless: Australian charity producing backpack-bed kits for people experiencing rough sleeping — shares the backpack-as-emergency-aid distribution concept and similar Australian community-driven charity footprint.
• TreeHouse Foundation: Nonprofit supporting children and young adults transitioning out of foster care with essentials and stable housing — aligned with Backpacks 4 SA Kids' Home Starter Pack and Anchor Pack transition support.

Regional players

• The Smith Family: Large Australian children's charity focused on supporting disadvantaged children and families; similar beneficiary cohort in Australia and a comparable community-led fundraising model.
• Foodbank Australia: Australia's largest food-relief charity using donated goods, volunteer warehousing and agency distribution — shares the donation-collection, warehouse-based distribution model, though focused on food rather than NFI.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army Australia: Established welfare organization running frontline social support including emergency relief, family violence response and crisis aid for at-risk children — overlaps with several of the charity's partner categories.
• Variety - the Children's Charity: Established international children's charity supporting disadvantaged and at-risk youth with tangible goods (mobility equipment, supplies) — operates the same tangible-aid paradigm for displaced children at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Backpacks4SAKids
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/backpacks4sakids
• Instagraminstagram.com/backpacks_4_sa_kids

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Backpacks 4 SA Kids