Redfern Jarjum College

What Redfern Jarjum College does

Redfern Jarjum College is a small, independent Jesuit Catholic primary school located at 117 Redfern Street, Redfern NSW 2016, serving Kindergarten to Year 6 exclusively for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are not participating or coping in mainstream primary schools as a result of domestic circumstances. Founded in March 2013 as a ministry of the Australian Jesuit Province on a site leased from St Aloysius' College (which holds the property and provides maintenance, ITC, and administrative support), the school delivers free primary education alongside a comprehensive wraparound model that includes daily meals, door-to-door bus transport, uniforms, school supplies, on-site speech therapy, paediatrician access, and transition support to high school. It operates with small class sizes and a high staff-to-student ratio across four class groupings (Junior K-2, Middle Years 3-4, Senior Years 5-6), with trauma-informed teaching staff and cultural programming grounded in partnership with local Aboriginal community organisations and Elders.

The business model is non-revenue-generating at the point of service — all educational and wraparound services are provided at no cost to families — and is instead funded through a mix of NSW Government recurrent expenditure funding, Australian Government capital support routed through the Catholic Block Grant Authority, Archdiocese of Sydney institutional support (including use of land), community and corporate grants (e.g., Knight Frank, Allan & Gill Gray Foundation, Property Industry Foundation, Variety the Children's Charity, Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation), and individual donor programs including the Gamarada Circle annual giving tier (A$5,000-A$20,000), the Jarjum Readathon fundraiser (hosted on Raisely), online donations via Commonwealth Bank, and the Gifts in Wills legacy program (partnered with Gathered Here). Go-to-market is community-led rather than marketed: enrollment is driven by word-of-mouth within Sydney's urban Indigenous community, referrals through the Jesuit school network, and partnerships with local Aboriginal organisations, with initial enrollment interviews conducted on-site. The school does not sell a technology product and has no disclosed AI, API, SDK, or proprietary platform; its only technology stack is standard non-profit SaaS (Salesforce CRM, Raisely fundraising, Gathered Here Wills, Commonwealth Bank payment gateway). The school is governed by a College Board chaired by John Wilcox OAM, with the Jesuit Provincial and the Rector of St Aloysius' College sitting on the Board, and is currently led by Principal Katherine Zerounian (appointed 2023).

Name

Redfern Jarjum College

Legal name

Redfern Jarjum College

Website

https://rjc.nsw.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Redfern Jarjum College is a non-profit Jesuit primary school in Redfern, NSW, providing free Kindergarten to Year 6 education and wraparound services (meals, transport, uniforms, allied health) exclusively for urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children not coping in mainstream schooling.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education (Indigenous-focused)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

Keywords

• Primary education services
• Aboriginal education programs
• Indigenous student support
• Culturally responsive schooling
• Wraparound student services

Headquarters

HQ city

Redfern, New South Wales

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Recurrent expenditure funding from NSW Government and Australian Government, including capital support from the Australian Government and Catholic Block Grant Authority.
2. Archdiocese of Sydney Support: Diocesan support including use of Diocese land and ongoing institutional assistance.
3. Community Grants and Donations: Support from community groups, corporate donors, and charitable foundations including Knight Frank, Allan & Gill Gray Foundation, Property Industry Foundation, Variety the Children's Charity, and Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation.
4. Individual Benefactor Contributions (Gamarada Circle): Annual contributions from individual supporters starting from $20,000 per year, providing personal impact reports, invitations to school events, and recognition in annual reports.
5. Online Donations: Direct donations accepted through Commonwealth Bank payment gateway for day-to-day running costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Redfern Jarjum College operates a free Jesuit-affiliated Kindergarten to Year 6 primary school exclusively for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are disengaged from mainstream education due to domestic disadvantage. All academic instruction is delivered alongside no-cost wraparound services including daily meals, door-to-door transport, uniforms, school supplies, on-site speech therapy, paediatrician access, and personalised learning plans co-developed with families. The school is a ministry of the Australian Jesuit Province governed by a College Board on behalf of the Society of Jesus.

Product overview

Redfern Jarjum College is a small, independent Jesuit primary school (Kindergarten to Year 6) providing free, culturally-appropriate education exclusively for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The core educational product is supplemented by comprehensive wrap-around support services (meals, transport, uniforms, allied health), a cultural education program, and three fundraising programs: the Jarjum Readathon, Gamarada Circle annual giving, and Gifts in Wills legacy giving.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jarjum College Primary Education Program Free Jesuit-affiliated Kindergarten to Year 6 primary school for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children not thriving in mainstream education, delivered with small class sizes and high staff-to-student ratios.
• Wraparound Support Services Integrated student support provided free to all enrolled families, including daily meals (breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea), door-to-door bus transport, uniforms, school supplies, on-site speech therapy, and paediatrician access.
• Cultural Education Program Culturally grounded curriculum incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and perspectives, with daily cultural activities, language lessons, and community partnerships with local Indigenous organisations.
• Jarjum Readathon Annual fundraising campaign inviting schools, workplaces, book clubs, and community groups to run their own readathons to raise funds for Jarjum students, managed through the Raisely platform.
• Gamarada Circle Annual Giving Program Annual giving program where donors commit to sustaining a Jarjum student's full wrap-around support, including transport, meals, uniforms, learning materials, and cultural programs, with giving tiers from $5,000 to $20,000 per year.
• Gifts in Wills Legacy Giving Program Legacy giving option allowing supporters to leave a bequest to Redfern Jarjum College through their Will, facilitated in partnership with the Gathered Here online Will-writing service.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% free enrolment covering all basic needs (meals, transport, uniforms, supplies, health services)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.

• Her Excellency Margaret Beazley AC KCmajorOthersHer Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC serves as Patron of Redfern Jarjum College, providing official patronage and support to the school.
• The Archdiocese of SydneycoreOthersThe Archdiocese of Sydney, led by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, has granted use of Diocese land and provides ongoing support to the school.
• City of Sydney CouncilsupportingOthersLord Mayor Clover Moore and City of Sydney Council provide community support and recognition.
• NorthcottsupportingOthersNot-for-profit disability service provider working with the school to support students with disabilities.
• St Aloysius' CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJesuit boys' school in Milsons Point that granted the lease on the Redfern Street site in 2009. Provides ongoing maintenance, ITC, and administrative support. The school's Provincial and Rector serve on the RJC Board.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Clontarf Foundation: Clontarf Foundation operates academy programs inside schools to improve education, employment, and life outcomes for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, with a national footprint across regional and urban Australia. Comparable in Indigenous education mission and school-based delivery model, but with a sport-driven male-focused lens distinct from RJC's primary-school model.

Direct peers

• AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience): AIME runs structured mentoring programs pairing university students with Indigenous high school students to improve educational outcomes and tertiary transition. It is a comparable Indigenous-focused educational equity non-profit with strong university and corporate partnerships.
• Stars Foundation: Stars Foundation delivers school-based programs supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and young women to complete school and transition to further study or employment. Comparable in being Indigenous-focused, education-led, and reliant on multi-source philanthropic and government funding.
• Stronger Smarter Institute: Stronger Smarter Institute partners with schools across Australia to deliver culturally-responsive education programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. It is comparable as a mission-aligned Indigenous education non-profit working within the formal schooling system.
• AIEF (Australian Indigenous Education Foundation): AIEF provides scholarships and educational support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from remote and regional communities to attend leading Australian schools. It is the closest mission-aligned peer in Australian Indigenous secondary education support, operating a similar wrap-around ethos to RJC but at the secondary/tertiary level.
• Yalari: Yalari is a national not-for-profit offering full boarding and scholarship scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children at partner secondary schools across Australia. It shares RJC's mission of Indigenous educational equity through institutional partnerships and wrap-around support.

Others

• National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE): NCIE is an Indigenous-led organisation in Redfern providing cultural, educational, and wellbeing programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, including after-school programs where a Jarjum teacher assistant previously worked. It is geographically and mission-adjacent to RJC, with overlapping community and student cohorts.
• St Aloysius' College, Milsons Point: St Aloysius' College is the Jesuit boys' school that holds the RJC site lease, provides operational support, and whose Rector sits on the RJC Board. It is not a peer in the competitive sense but is an institutional parent/sibling organisation directly comparable in Jesuit identity and Sydney Catholic education.

Broad incumbents

• Sydney Catholic Schools: Sydney Catholic Schools is the systemic Catholic education authority for ~150 schools across the Archdiocese of Sydney, the same Archdiocese that supports RJC. It is comparable as a Catholic primary/secondary operator in NSW, though at vastly larger scale and without RJC's Indigenous specialisation.
• The Smith Family: The Smith Family is a large national children's education charity supporting disadvantaged young Australians through learning programs, sponsorships, and wrap-around support. It operates at materially greater scale than RJC across the same broad 'disadvantaged-youth education' thematic space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/redfern-jarjum-college

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Redfern Jarjum College