The Independent Living Center

What The Independent Living Center does

The Independent Living Center is a Joplin, Missouri-based non-profit organization founded in 1994 that provides advocacy, support, and community services for individuals with disabilities. It serves a single primary persona — community members with disabilities seeking essential support services, educational resources, and tools to organize and manage daily activities — and delivers these services on what appears to be a free or sliding-scale basis funded through grants, donations, and government programs such as Consumer Directed Services (CDS). The organization employs 51–100 staff and operates within the federally recognized Centers for Independent Living service category.

The organization's digital footprint centers on ilcenter.org, which presents a unified workspace platform described as a tool for organizing, tracking, and sharing work, "built for teams and solo users who want clarity and speed." The site also exposes dedicated pages for About, Services, Events, Staff, Contact, CDS Application intake, and online Donations. The CDS Application portal is the most distinctive functional capability, embedding a regulated Medicaid-adjacent program workflow directly into the organization's digital infrastructure. There is no documented proprietary AI/ML, no API or SDK surface, and no integrations disclosed in the source material.

The business model is that of a community non-profit: services are delivered to end users largely free or on a sliding scale, with revenue drawn from donations, state and federal grants, and CDS-program-related funding channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Marketing and distribution rely on community outreach, referrals, and local partnerships rather than a formal go-to-market motion, consistent with the organization's mission-driven operating posture.

Name

The Independent Living Center

Website

https://ilcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Independent Living Center is a Joplin, Missouri-based non-profit founded in 1994 that provides advocacy, support, and community services — including Consumer Directed Services application intake — for individuals with disabilities, supported by donations, grants, and a unified workspace digital platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Services and Advocacy

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Disability advocacy services
• Independent living support
• Consumer directed services
• Community resource coordination
• Non-profit disability education

Headquarters

HQ city

Joplin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Core offering

The Independent Living Center is a non-profit organization that delivers advocacy, support, community, and educational services to disabled individuals, alongside a unified workspace platform for organizing, tracking, and sharing work. It also facilitates Consumer Directed Services (CDS) applications and hosts community events.

Product overview

The Independent Living Center operates as a community-focused non-profit offering essential services and educational resources. The organization provides a unified workspace for organizing, tracking, and sharing work. Its digital presence includes pages for About, CDS Application, Contact, Donate, Events, Services, and Staff. The core digital product offering is a unified workspace platform designed for teams and solo users.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advocacy and Support Services Core non-profit advocacy and support services for individuals with disabilities, helping them access resources, navigate services, and manage daily living activities.
• Consumer Directed Services (CDS) Application Online application capability enabling disabled community members to apply for Consumer Directed Services, a self-directed support service model.
• Educational Resources Educational resources delivered as part of the non-profit's community services to support individuals with disabilities and their families.
• Community Events Community events hosted and coordinated by the non-profit to engage disabled community members and raise awareness of available services.
• Unified Workspace Platform Digital workspace delivered through the organization that helps users organize, track, and share work; built for community members and solo users seeking clarity and speed in managing daily activities.
• Donation Program Donation infrastructure enabling community members and supporters to financially contribute to the non-profit's mission and service delivery.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The Arc: A national nonprofit network providing advocacy and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, comparable in mission and disability-services focus though operating at far greater scale.
• Alpha Pointe: A Missouri-based nonprofit providing employment, independent living, and disability services — comparable regional peer with overlapping consumer-directed services programs.
• Services for Independent Living: A Missouri-based Center for Independent Living serving the Columbia region, offering advocacy, independent living skills, and consumer-directed services — closely comparable in service mix and regional footprint.
• Ability360: A Center for Independent Living in Arizona offering advocacy, independent living skills training, and disability support services — a direct structural peer to The Independent Living Center in mission and operating model.
• Paraquad: A St. Louis-based Center for Independent Living providing advocacy, consumer-directed services, and disability support — a structurally identical peer operating in the same state.

Broad incumbents

• Easterseals: A large national disability services nonprofit providing independent living, employment, and community-based services — overlapping with the Center's mission but at vastly greater geographic and operational scale.
• Goodwill Industries International: A national nonprofit that provides disability employment, training, and independent living support services through local affiliates — a broader incumbent whose mission overlaps with the Center's.

Others

• National Council on Independent Living: The national membership organization for Centers for Independent Living, providing advocacy, training, and policy support to peer organizations including The Independent Living Center.

Regional players

• Missouri Association of Centers for Independent Living: The statewide association representing Missouri's Centers for Independent Living — a peer ecosystem body that coordinates funding, training, and advocacy among the Center's direct counterparts.
• Disability Rights Missouri: Missouri's designated Protection and Advocacy system, providing legal advocacy and disability rights services within the same state where the Center operates — a directly comparable regional peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theindependentlivingcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-independent-living-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Independent Living Center