The Trustee For The Cages Foundation

What The Trustee For The Cages Foundation does

CAGES Foundation is an Australian private philanthropic foundation established in 2009 by Paul and Sandra Salteri and Sandra Salteri, capitalised with proceeds from the 2008 sale of their company Tenix to BAE Systems. The foundation is named after the founders' children — Carla, Anthony, Gemma, Salteri (CAGES) — and operates from Sydney as a trust structure. Its sole mission is to strengthen outcomes for First Nations' communities, with two primary funding streams: Early Years community grants (up to $25,000 per request, distributed three times a year via the SmartyGrants platform) for Aboriginal community-controlled organisations serving children aged 0–5, and longer-term Strategic Partnerships initiated through direct conversation. A separate Economic Inclusion grant stream funds Aboriginal-controlled organisations working on economic participation and wealth creation.

The foundation has no technology products, proprietary platforms, or digital services. Its operating model is deliberately low-bureaucratic: it does not run formal grant rounds for strategic partnerships, reduces reporting burden on recipients, and cedes control over fund deployment and success metrics to grantees. Grant-making is supported by an investment committee that also manages impact-investing activity separate from the grant corpus. Leadership comprises the Salteri family (Founders Paul and Sandra, Executive Director Gemma, Adviser Anthony) alongside long-tenured Director Paul Biancardi (Chartered Accountant, trustee since inception) and Executive Officer Rachel Kerry (20+ years in philanthropy).

Commercial revenue is not generated; the foundation distributes grants rather than selling products or services. Its competitive position rests on DGR1 tax status, a 15-year operating history, an established partner ecosystem of 13+ Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, and family continuity. It is not a venture- or growth-stage investment target; it is a single-family philanthropic vehicle operating in the Australian Indigenous-advancement sector.

Name

The Trustee For The Cages Foundation

Legal name

CAGES Foundation

Website

https://cagesfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CAGES Foundation is an Australian private philanthropic trust, established in 2009 by the Salteri family, that funds Aboriginal community-controlled organisations through Early Years community grants (up to $25,000) and long-term Strategic Partnerships across NSW and eastern Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation / Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Philanthropic foundation
• Community grants
• Aboriginal advocacy
• Early childhood programs
• Grantmaking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Others, Personnel

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Trustee For The Cages Foundation is a private philanthropic, family-founded grant-making foundation that provides financial grants and strategic partnerships to Aboriginal community-controlled organisations across Australia. Its grantmaking is organised around three thematic pillars — Early Years (children aged 0–5), Strategic Partnerships, and Economic Inclusion/Development — with community grants available up to $25,000 per grant.

Product overview

CAGES Foundation is a philanthropic organization, not a technology product company. It operates as a grant-making foundation providing two primary funding streams: (1) Early Years grants offering one-off community grants up to $25,000 to organizations serving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, and (2) Strategic Partnerships providing long-term funding for Aboriginal-controlled organizations working on early childhood initiatives. Additionally, Economic Development grants support Indigenous economic inclusion and entrepreneurship. There are no technology products, software platforms, or digital services offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Jarjum CentrecoreOthersAboriginal community-controlled organisation supported by CAGES Foundation. Jarjum Centre provides early years services for First Nations children and families.
• Awabakal LTDcoreOthersAboriginal community-controlled organisation supported by CAGES Foundation. Awabakal provides services to First Nations communities in NSW.
• DalaigurcoreOthersAboriginal community-controlled early years organisation supported by CAGES Foundation.
• CullunghutticoreOthersCullunghutti Aboriginal Child and Family Centre is an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation providing early years services, supported by CAGES Foundation.
• Maari MacoreOthersMaari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation is an Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation providing early years programs and health services to First Nations communities.
• SNAICCcoreOthersSNAICC - National Voice for our Children is the national representative organisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, supported by CAGES Foundation.
• SevGencoreOthersAboriginal community-controlled organisation supported by CAGES Foundation in the economic inclusion sector.
• Original PowercoreOthersAboriginal community-controlled organisation focused on First Nations empowerment and economic initiatives, supported by CAGES Foundation.
• Mudgin-galcoreOthersMudgin-gal Women's Place is an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation providing early years services, supported by CAGES Foundation.
• First HandcoreOthersAboriginal community-controlled organisation supported by CAGES Foundation in the economic inclusion sector.
• FACcoreOthersAboriginal community-controlled organisation supported by CAGES Foundation in the economic inclusion sector.
• Deadly ConnectionscoreOthersAboriginal community-controlled organisation providing early years services, supported by CAGES Foundation.
• ContactcoreOthersAboriginal community-controlled early years organisation supported by CAGES Foundation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF): Australia's leading private-sector focused Indigenous education foundation, providing scholarships and support for Indigenous students. Closely comparable to CAGES in mission (Indigenous education outcomes) and structure (private foundation model) though AIEF operates at greater scale and across the full education lifecycle rather than early childhood only.
• Lowitja Institute: Australia's community-controlled Indigenous health research institute. Comparable as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisation focused on First Nations outcomes, though structured as a research entity rather than a grantmaker. CAGES is a funder of related community-controlled organisations.
• Myer Foundation: Australian family foundation established by the Myer retail dynasty with programs in Indigenous education, the arts and the environment. Comparable as a family-wealth foundation with explicit Indigenous programs and a flexible, partnership-based funding approach.
• Healing Foundation: Australian Indigenous-focused foundation supporting Stolen Generations healing and intergenerational trauma. Comparable as an Indigenous-focused grantmaking entity, though federally funded rather than family-wealth funded, and with a more trauma-focused mandate.
• Paul Ramsay Foundation: One of Australia's largest philanthropic foundations established from the Ramsay Health care sale proceeds. Comparable as a family-wealth-funded foundation pursuing systemic social change, including Indigenous disadvantage, with a strong focus on evidence-based grantmaking and impact measurement.
• Origin Foundation: Australian corporate foundation focused on education and Indigenous programs, funded by Origin Energy. Comparable as an Australian grantmaking entity with an Indigenous education focus, though structured as a corporate foundation rather than family-controlled.
• The Fred Hollows Foundation: Major Australian Indigenous-focused philanthropic foundation working on eye health in Aboriginal communities. Comparable as an Australian foundation with a strong Indigenous programs stream and established Aboriginal community-controlled partner network, though operating at much greater international scale.
• Minderoo Foundation: Major Australian family foundation established by Andrew and Nicola Forrest with significant Indigenous initiatives (including Fire Shield, Generation One). Comparable as a high-net-worth family foundation deploying flexible capital into Indigenous-led outcomes, though at a substantially larger scale and broader thematic scope.
• Caledonia Foundation: Australian family-wealth philanthropic foundation with a focus on social change including Indigenous outcomes. Comparable as a private family foundation pursuing systemic social impact in Australia, though thematically broader than CAGES.

Broad incumbents

• The Ian Potter Foundation: One of Australia's largest private grantmaking foundations with a broad portfolio across education, arts, science and medical research. Comparable as a major Australian family-wealth foundation, though much larger in scale and more thematically diversified than CAGES.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cages-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Trustee For The Cages Foundation