create foundation

What create foundation does

CREATE Foundation is an Australian registered not-for-profit organization (ABN 69 088 075 058), founded in 1998 and headquartered in Parramatta, NSW, that serves as the national peak body representing children and young people aged 0–25 with experience of the out-of-home care system (foster care, residential care, kinship care, and other statutory care). The organization operates across all Australian states and territories with state-based Youth Advisory Groups (YAGs) and approximately 50+ staff, reaching a stated membership base of 30,000+ young people. Its programs are delivered free of charge and are organized around three core pillars: clubCREATE (a free membership club offering connection events and a quarterly magazine), the Speak Up workshop series (a three-level advocacy training curriculum), and the Young Consultants leadership program (for young people aged 14–25 who represent CREATE in systemic advocacy). Supporting services include transition supports (anchored by the Sortli mobile app), worker training for frontline care practitioners, and a public-facing policy hub. The organization is not a technology company and does not operate a SaaS platform; its products are programmatic and service-based rather than software-based.

The business model is nonprofit charitable funding: revenue is sourced from public donations solicited via the website and likely from government and philanthropic grants, and is not publicly disclosed. There are no equity funding rounds, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed mergers, acquisitions, or restructuring events. The go-to-market is community-led rather than commercial — engagement flows through Youth Advisory Groups, state-based events, the Sortli app, digital content (website, YouTube, newsletter), and earned media. The organization participates in formal sector processes (e.g., the Queensland Child Safety Commission of Inquiry in 2025) and aligns with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, positioning it as a participant in statutory care-system reform rather than a vendor.

Name

create foundation

Legal name

CREATE Foundation

Website

https://create.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CREATE Foundation is an Australian nonprofit, founded in 1998, that represents more than 30,000 children and young people with out-of-home care experience nationally through clubCREATE, Speak Up workshops, Young Consultants, transition supports (Sortli app), worker training, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Advocacy and Child Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Youth advocacy services
• Child welfare programs
• Out-of-home care support
• Nonprofit advocacy organization
• Youth empowerment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Parramatta

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: CREATE Foundation operates as a registered nonprofit organization (ABN 69 088 075 058) funded through donations and charitable contributions. The organization solicits public donations through its website and likely receives government and philanthropic grants to fund its advocacy programs, member services, and operational activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CREATE Foundation represents children and young people with care experience (out-of-home care) across Australia through a suite of programs and services. Its core offerings include the free clubCREATE membership program, the three-level Speak Up training workshop series, the Young Consultants leadership program for ages 14-25, advocacy and policy submissions to drive systemic change, transition supports including the Sortli app for young people leaving care, worker training for child welfare professionals, and a library of resources and toolkits shaped by young voices.

Product overview

CREATE Foundation is a nonprofit advocacy organization offering a suite of programs and services for children and young people with care experience. The core offerings include clubCREATE (a membership program), the Speak Up workshop series (with three levels of advocacy training), and the Young Consultants leadership program. Supporting services include advocacy for systemic change, transition supports with the Sortli app, worker training, and resources including guides, toolkits, and policy documents. The organization does not offer a technology product platform but rather programmatic services centered on youth voice and empowerment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• clubCREATE: A free club for kids and young people with a care experience, providing opportunities to make friends, have fun, and be heard.
• Sortli

Products and services

• clubCREATE Free membership club for children and young people with a care experience, offering connection events, a quarterly magazine, prizes, and a pathway to be heard in shaping services.
• Speak Up Program

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Queensland Child Safety Commission of InquirycoreOthersCREATE Foundation actively engaged with the Queensland Child Safety Commission of Inquiry by supporting young people with lived experience to share their stories, making submissions on behalf of members, and participating in media engagement to ensure children's voices were central to the inquiry process.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Berry Street: One of Australia's largest independent family and child welfare organizations, providing out-of-home care and family services across Victoria and nationally. Highly comparable to CREATE given its similar dual focus on direct service delivery and advocacy for vulnerable children and young people.
• MacKillop Family Services: Catholic-affiliated Australian organization delivering out-of-home care, family services, and education programs for children and young people. Overlaps with CREATE on the care-experienced cohort and advocacy for systemic improvement.
• Australian Childhood Foundation: Australian nonprofit focused on preventing child abuse and supporting recovery from trauma, with therapeutic, training, and advocacy programs. Comparable to CREATE in mission, advocacy orientation, and workforce training offerings.
• yourtown: Australian nonprofit operating Kids Helpline and youth services, including support for vulnerable young people and employment programs. Comparable as a youth-focused charity combining direct service with advocacy and skill-building.
• National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS): UK charity providing advocacy, independent visitors, and children's rights services for children and young people in care. The closest international peer by mission and model, offering a benchmark for cross-jurisdictional expansion thinking.
• Become: UK charity that supports children in care and care leavers through advocacy, policy work, and direct services. Comparable international peer with a similar peak-body / advocacy orientation for care-experienced young people.

Broad incumbents

• Life Without Barriers: Large national provider of out-of-home care, disability, and youth services across Australia. A broader incumbent with overlapping child-welfare service lines, though operating as a major service provider rather than a dedicated advocacy peak body.
• Uniting (UnitingCare Australia): Large Australian faith-based social services network delivering child and family services including out-of-home care across multiple states. A broad incumbent with overlapping service lines but much greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Anglicare Australia: National network of Anglican social service agencies delivering family and community services including out-of-home care. Functions partly as a peak body and partly as a service provider, comparable in advocacy role though broader in mission.

Regional players

• AbSec (Aboriginal Child, Family and Community Care Secretariat): NSW peak body for Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care, with advocacy and sector-support functions. Directly comparable to CREATE's peak-body role, though focused on Aboriginal children specifically and primarily NSW-based.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL0dhxROt-Ep3E06_rRAph9aCCbwYkRcD9
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/create-foundation

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about create foundation