What Independent Living Institute does

The Independent Living Institute (ILI) is a Swedish private non-profit foundation (stiftelse, org.nr. 802017-5090) founded in 1993 by Adolf Ratzka to promote the self-determination of people with disabilities. Headquartered in Farsta, Stockholm, ILI operates as a think tank and project platform within the Independent Living civil rights movement, advocating for personal assistance, peer support, anti-institutionalization, and disability rights. Its core deliverables are project-based — not a commercial product portfolio — and include initiatives such as Assistanskoll (a monitoring and information service about personal assistance in Sweden), Adabi / Disabled Refugees Stories (storytelling for disabled migrants), Mitt Liv Mitt Val (supported decision making), Disability Rights Defenders (a legal-expertise network for disability rights), the Disabled Refugees Welcome Support Center, the Anmälningstjänsten discrimination-complaint register, the Personal Assistance Tips service (patips.se), the Lagen som verktyg legal-advocacy project, the Adolf Ratzka Memorial Fund, and the ILI digital library. The underlying technology stack is modest: a portfolio of web platforms (assistanskoll.se, patips.se, adabi.se, mittlivmittval.se, disabledrefugeeswelcome.se, etc.) with third-party accessibility tooling such as ReadSpeaker for text-to-speech. ILI holds GDPR data-protection compliance for personal data it processes.

ILI's business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. The organization does not sell products or services and does not provide financial assistance to beneficiaries. Its primary revenue stream is project grants from Swedish public foundations, most notably the Swedish Inheritance Fund (Allmänna Arvsfonden), which awarded SEK 4,768,500 in September 2025 for the three-year Adabi project. Secondary funding flows from DHR's Bidragsstiftelse for the Disabled Refugees Welcome Support Center, and the organization collaborates with cultural and educational partners (Sundbybergs folkhögskola, Tensta Konsthall, Nordiska museet) to deliver programming. Reach is domestic Sweden with selective European research engagement (EU MuseIT project, AAATE conference). The organization is governed and predominantly staffed by people with disabilities, currently led by Director Emil Erdtman (appointed September 1, 2025) and Chairman Jamie Bolling, with a small core team of approximately 5–15 part-time and project-based personnel.

Name

Independent Living Institute

Legal name

Stiftelsen Institutet för Independent Living

Website

https://independentliving.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Independent Living Institute (ILI) is a Swedish non-profit foundation, founded in 1993, that promotes self-determination for people with disabilities through advocacy, grant-funded projects, and a portfolio of digital platforms serving disabled individuals, migrants, and disability rights organizations across Sweden.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability rights advocacy services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI)

Keywords

• Disability rights advocacy
• Independent living services
• Disability policy research
• Personal assistance support
• Disability community projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Farsta

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

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. Project Grants: ILI operates primarily through project-based funding from Swedish public foundations. Major grants include SEK 4,768,500 from the Swedish Inheritance Fund (Arvsfonden) for the Disabled Refugees Stories Adabi project. The organization also receives funding from DHR's Bidragsstiftelse and other disability rights foundations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Independent Living Institute (ILI) is a Swedish non-profit foundation that operates as a think tank and project platform promoting self-determination, full participation, and equality for people with disabilities. It delivers advocacy, project-based support, peer networks, legal resources, and policy expertise through multiple websites and initiatives including Disabled Refugees Welcome, Assistanskoll, Adabi storytelling, Disability Rights Defenders, and Mitt Liv Mitt Val, all funded by grants from public foundations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Assistanskoll A monitoring and information service about personal assistance in Sweden, providing news and statistics about assistance providers and rights for assistance recipients.
• Mitt Liv, Mitt Val (My Life, My Choice) A project focused on the right to supported decision making, testing new methods for decision support with people who use legal guardians or trustees.
• Adabi (Disabled Refugees Stories) A storytelling project enabling persons with disabilities who have arrived in Sweden from other countries to share their stories, working with Sundbybergs folkhögskola and Tensta Konsthall.
• Disabled Refugees Welcome Support Center Integration support center for migrants with disabilities, providing guidance, peer support, and promoting human rights.
• Disability Rights Defenders A network of individuals and organizations focused on disability rights and disability law, spreading legal expertise among disabled persons, organizations, lawyers and law schools.
• Anmälningstjänsten (Reporting Service) A register and reporting service for discrimination complaints related to disability.
• Personal Assistance Tips (Assistanstips) A service collecting and sharing tips, tricks and examples of how assistance recipients and assistants solve assistance situations.
• Lagen som verktyg (Law as a Tool) A project focused on using law as a tool for disability rights, promoting legal expertise and accessibility legislation.
• ILI Library A virtual library containing articles and publications on Independent Living, personal assistance, and disability rights.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 20,000 people in Sweden receive personal assistance under the LSS law that ILI influenced
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and notable.

• Sundbybergs folkhögskola (Folk High School)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2025Key partner in the Disabled Refugees Stories Adabi project. Provides facilities for storytelling workshops and writing exercises for migrants with disabilities. The school has multiple writing courses and serves as a venue for community engagement activities.
• Tensta Konsthall (Art Gallery)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2025Art gallery partner in the Adabi storytelling project, contributing to the cultural heritage preservation aspect of the initiative and providing creative platforms for disabled migrants.
• Nordiska museet (Nordic Museum)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2025Nordic Museum will collect and make available the stories from the Adabi project on minnen.se, preserving the cultural heritage of disabled migrants in Sweden.
• DHR (Swedish Disability Rights Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Director Emil Erdtman holds a part-time position at DHR. DHR's Bidragsstiftelse provides funding for the Disabled Refugees Welcome Support Center.
• University of Borås (MuseIT EU project)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025MuseIT is an EU research project coordinated by University of Borås about equal access to art and culture. ILI Director Emil Erdtman sits on panel at the project's final conference.
• Stockholm UniversitynotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Director Emil Erdtman holds a minor research position at Stockholm University alongside his part-time role at ILI.
• Lund UniversitynotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Emil Erdtman completed his doctorate at Lund University. His thesis Universal design in practice: understanding, implementation and co-creation informs ILI's work.
• STIL (Stockholm Cooperative for Independent Living)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTIL is the organization's sponsor and predecessor organization. STIL pioneered personal assistance in Sweden and influenced the LSS legislation. Jamie Bolling received STIL prize Hjärter Ess 2025.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Handikappförbundet (HSO - The Swedish Disability Federation): Swedish cross-disability federation of 40+ member organizations. Directly comparable as a domestic Swedish disability rights advocacy organization with overlapping policy influence and beneficiary base, though structured as an umbrella rather than a project platform.
• STIL (Stockholm Cooperative for Independent Living): Direct peer and ILI's sponsor/predecessor organization. STIL pioneered personal assistance in Sweden and influenced the LSS legislation, sharing ILI's core mission of self-determination for people with disabilities and operating as a cooperative-based advocacy entity.
• Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU): U.S.-based research and training center advancing the Independent Living movement, founded on the same philosophy ILI brought to Europe. Highly comparable in mission (CIL development, disability rights research, training) and constituency.
• Funktionsrätt Sverige (Swedish Disability Rights Federation): Major Swedish disability rights umbrella organization coordinating 50+ member groups. Comparable as a domestic Swedish advocacy peer with overlapping policy focus on LSS implementation, anti-discrimination, and personal assistance reform.
• Center for Independent Living Berkeley: Original U.S. Center for Independent Living where the Independent Living movement began. Shares ILI's core philosophy and operational model (consumer-controlled advocacy, peer support, independent living skills), though operates in a U.S. policy and funding context.
• European Network on Independent Living (ENIL): European umbrella network for Independent Living organizations, directly comparable in philosophy, mission, and constituency (people with disabilities pursuing self-determination). ENIL operates at pan-European scale; ILI participates through its board and projects.
• DHR (Swedish Association of Disabled Persons): Swedish national disability rights organization and active ILI partner. DHR's Bidragsstiftelse funds ILI projects and ILI's director holds a part-time position at DHR. Comparable in mission (disability self-determination) and in operating as a Swedish advocacy NGO.

Broad incumbents

• European Disability Forum (EDF): Largest umbrella organization representing the interests of 100 million Europeans with disabilities. Comparable in disability rights advocacy mission, but operates at continental policy level and is not focused specifically on Independent Living philosophy.

Others

• Disability Rights Fund: International grantmaking entity funding disability rights advocacy in the Global South and Eastern Europe. Comparable as a funder in the same ecosystem where ILI operates as a grantee; relevant peer for understanding the grant flow architecture ILI depends on.

Emerging players

• MyRight: Swedish disability rights organization working on inclusion of people with disabilities in development cooperation, with overlapping focus on disabled migrants/refugees (a key ILI segment). Comparable in Swedish nonprofit disability rights advocacy and cross-border programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Independent Living Institute