For many Australian non-profits the ultimate measure of success comes when they render themselves redundant.

Polly Farmer Foundation isn't there yet, but vice chairwoman Kim Farmer is already daring to dream of the day the foundation named in her famous footy father's honour can hang the boots up and say job well done.

Speaking at the Foundation's 25th anniversary in Boorloo (Perth) last week, Ms Farmer said Indigenous education had progressed "light years" since the organisation delivered its first program in 1997.

"Today we have more of a jigsaw puzzle of choices for Aboriginal people, back then there really weren't many options," she said.

"It is critical, though, that until the statistics of Aboriginal children are exactly the same as all Australians, there is a need for these programs.

"We don't want to have a need in 25 years, we want to be dissolved and put ourselves out of a job, and I think we will do it."

While the Foundation's first program started 25 years ago, the work began behind the scenes three years earlier, spurred on by Polly Farmer's observation about the lack of Indigenous people in the many "good jobs" available in Australia.

https://www.nit.com.au/polly-farmer-foundation-alumni-join-eminent-west-australians-to-mark-25-years-of-blazing-trails-for-indigenous-students/

Former WA Senator Fred Chaney was among the founding members tasked with bringing Polly's dream to life.

"We started small, giving prizes and things, then we realised helping Aboriginal children get through school successfully was at the root of change," Mr Chaney said.

"There has been a lot of effort around Australia by a lot of organisations and Polly Farmer Foundation is one of the very successful ones, I think, which regularly gets kids through school and into trades and universities.

"The really important thing is they go onto a future they can live for themselves and live a successful life they want, whatever their definition of successul is."

Also there with the Foundation as a patron from the start was Yamatji actor Ernie Dingo.

Mr Dingo said the Foundation still had an important role to play in walking Indigenous students through unique challenges not faced by other classmates.

"We got about 10 languages around us within a couple hundred miles and then ontop of that we gotta learn English and (pidgin) English," he said.

"Education is the key to give the confidence to tread that fine line of both black and white and that is what Polly is doing with the foundation - enabling kids to have a grounding they can go back to to get more resources to go forward into their chosen field."

Mr Dingo said it was heartening to see the education system take more notice of culture today.

"We have always had this wonderful sense of cultural identity within our community, and I am not just talking about Indigenous community, I am talking about all the different ethnic backgrounds," he said.