What Kildare Ministries does

Kildare Ministries is a private Catholic non-profit organization established in 2014 as the canonical steward of the ministries of the Brigidine and Presentation Sisters in Australia. Headquartered at 54 Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park, Victoria, it operates a network of 10 Catholic secondary schools across Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia — including Brigidine College Indooroopilly, Brigidine College St Ives, Clonard College Geelong, Kilbreda College Mentone, Kildare College Holden Hill, Killester College Springvale, Marian College Ararat, Marian College Sunshine West, St Joseph's College Echuca and Star of the Sea College Brighton — alongside three Community Works: the Brigidine Asylum Seeker Project (BASP) in Melbourne, Saltbush Balnarring Beach retreat centre in Victoria, and Wellsprings for Women in Dandenong.

The organization's offering consists entirely of services rather than technology products. Educational delivery is provided through direct school operations, with schools receiving government recurrent funding under Australia's Catholic schooling framework alongside tuition. Community Works are funded through a combination of donations and direct program support. Revenue mechanics are therefore a hybrid of school fees, public funding, and charitable giving rather than a unified commercial pricing model. The central administrative office employs 18 staff and is governed by a Board of Trustees acting as canonical stewards, with three new trustee commissions recorded in February and May 2026.

Beyond schools and community works, Kildare Ministries runs a Formation Program portfolio — Professional Networks, retreats, a biennial Leaders Retreat, induction programs for new staff and leaders, and Student Seminars including a Student Social Justice Seminar, First Nations Immersion, Net Zero Project, and Student Leadership Retreat — alongside a biennial pilgrimage to Ireland. The organization publishes regular newsletters, maintains a formal KEM Policies suite covering child safety, enrolment, fee collection and wellbeing, and publishes public Trustee Statements on social-justice matters including the Voice Referendum, inclusion, gender inclusivity, and Palestine and Israel. There is no software platform, app, public API, or AI/ML component in the product portfolio.

Name

Kildare Ministries

Legal name

Kildare Ministries

Website

https://kildareministries.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kildare Ministries is a Catholic non-profit canonical steward operating 10 secondary schools and 3 community works (asylum-seeker support, retreat centre, women's centre) across Australia, delivering faith-based education, formation programs, and social-justice services rooted in Brigidine and Presentation traditions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Education and Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Catholic secondary education
• Community social services
• Faith formation programs
• Asylum seeker support
• Women's community services

Headquarters

HQ city

Albert Park

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Educational Services: Operating Catholic schools that provide education services to students and families
2. Community Services: Community works including Wellsprings for Women, Saltbush Balnarring Beach retreat centre, and Brigidine Asylum Seeker Project

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kildare Ministries operates Catholic secondary education through 10 schools and delivers community services via three community works — the Brigidine Asylum Seeker Project (BASP), Saltbush Balnarring Beach retreat centre, and Wellsprings for Women — across Australia. It also runs faith-based Formation, Induction, and Student Seminar programs for staff, leaders, students, and trustees, governed by a Board of Trustees serving as Canonical Stewards of the ministries inherited from the Brigidine and Presentation Sisters.

Product overview

Kildare Ministries operates as a unified Catholic educational and community services organization inspired by Brigidine and Presentation traditions. The portfolio includes ten secondary schools across Victoria and Queensland, three community works (Brigidine Asylum Seeker Project, Saltbush retreat center, and Wellsprings for Women), and comprehensive formation programs for staff, leaders, students, and trustees. The organization publishes regular newsletters and maintains governance policies through KEM Policies. There is no technology product or software platform; the 'products' represent educational, community, and formation services delivered directly by member institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kildare Ministries Schools Network A network of 10 Catholic secondary schools operated under Kildare Ministries across Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia: Brigidine College Indooroopilly, Brigidine College St Ives, Clonard College Geelong, Kilbreda College Mentone, Kildare College Holden Hill, Killester College Springvale, Marian College Ararat, Marian College Sunshine West, St Joseph's College Echuca, and Star of the Sea College Brighton. Most schools serve girls from Year 7 to Year 12, with a few co-educational campuses.
• Brigidine Asylum Seeker Project (BASP) A Melbourne-based initiative providing hospitality, practical support, advocacy, and education for people seeking asylum. Established by the Brigidine Sisters in 2001 and incorporated into Kildare Ministries in 2018.
• Saltbush Balnarring Beach A retreat and hospitality centre comprising 6 houses, a Nano Centre recreation facility, and approximately 50 acres of lawns, gardens and protected bushland, providing welcome, comfort and rest for those in need. Operated by the Presentation Sisters since 1989 and entrusted to Kildare Ministries in 2017.
• Wellsprings for Women

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 30,000 people welcomed at Saltbush since opening
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 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 minor and core.

• Association of Ministerial PJPsminorOthersReferenced as a useful link for Association of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons - a network connecting similar Catholic Church organizations in Australia
• Australian Catholic Safeguarding LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Catholic safeguarding organization that provides child safety frameworks and standards for Catholic organizations in Australia. Kildare Ministries is committed to their safeguarding standards.
• National Catholic Education CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeak national body for Catholic education in Australia that represents Catholic schooling and advocates for Catholic education policies and standards.
• Presentation Sisters of VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding religious congregation that established Saltbush in 1989 and entrusted it to Kildare Ministries in 2017. The Presentation Sisters' heritage informs the charism of hospitality and social justice.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Dominican Education Australia: Coordination body supporting Australian Catholic schools in the Dominican tradition (e.g., St Dominic's, Siena College). Comparable as another women-religious-founded Catholic schools network operating in similar Victorian catchment areas, though with a smaller school portfolio than Kildare Ministries.

Direct peers

• Jesuit Education Australia: Australian body coordinating Jesuit schools (e.g., St Ignatius' College, Xavier High) with formation programs in the Ignatian tradition. Comparable as a religious-order-sponsored governance body running multiple Catholic schools across Australia.
• Edmund Rice Education Australia: Catholic education governance body established by the Christian Brothers to operate a national network of secondary schools across Australia on behalf of Edmund Rice Ministries. Directly comparable as another congregation-founded PJP running a multi-school Catholic education platform.
• Good Samaritan Education: Catholic education entity of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, governing two Australian schools (Benedict XVI, St Scholastica's) and providing formation across the network. Directly comparable as another women-religious-founded Australian Catholic schools stewardship body.
• Marist Schools Australia: National network representing Australian Catholic schools operating in the Marist tradition under the Society of Mary. Comparable as a multi-school Catholic education governance structure with shared charism-driven formation.
• Mary Aikenhead Ministries: Australian Catholic Public Juridic Person established in 2009 to govern the health, aged care and community ministries of the Sisters of Charity, including Cabrini Health. Comparable to Kildare Ministries as a religious-congregation-sponsored PJP stewarding a multi-entity Catholic ministry portfolio in Australia.
• Loreto Ministries: Public Juridic Person established by the Loreto Sisters (IBVM) to govern their Australian schools, ministries, and community works. Closely mirrors Kildare Ministries' structure as a congregation-founded PJP holding multiple Catholic schools and formation activities.

Broad incumbents

• Presentation Sisters of Victoria: Founding religious congregation of which Kildare Ministries is canonical steward, sustaining hospitality and social-justice ministries including the original Saltbush site (1989). Comparable as the founding order whose charism and property underlie Kildare Ministries' community works.
• Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS): Diocesan schooling authority for the Archdiocese of Melbourne, operating the vast majority of Catholic schools across greater Melbourne and Victoria including many of the same suburbs where Kildare Ministries schools operate. Comparable as a large-scale Catholic schooling system competing for the same Victorian families.
• Brigidine Sisters: Australian province of the Brigidine Sisters, founding congregation that established BASP in 2001 and the Brigidine colleges now operated by Kildare Ministries. Comparable as the founding order whose heritage and ministry Kildare Ministries stewards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kildare-ministries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Kildare Ministries