What is the ILF?

The Independent Living Funds (ILF) is open to applications from severely disabled people who meet its eligibility criteria and are permanent residents of the United Kingdom.

The Independent Living Funds were set up as a national resource dedicated to the financial support of disabled people to enable them to choose to live in the community rather than in residential care.

The Independent Living Funds provide a "direct payment" that enables people to purchase care from an agency or pay the wages of a privately employed Personal Assistant (PA).

The Independent Living Funds is a Non Departmental Public Body.  Awards are in the form of regular four-weekly payments to individuals, which are used to buy personal care in the community. Recipients may use care agencies or employ personal assistants, but may not employ relatives who live in the same house.

The ILF was originally established in 1988, intended to run for 5 years.  When the original Fund closed in 1993, two new Funds were created.  The Extension Fund was created to administer the payments of people who applied between 1988 and March 1993 and who continued to receive awards under the old rules.  The 1993 Fund was created with slightly different rules - mainly, the condition that Social Services should provide a weekly financial contribution - to take on new applications.  By 2006, there were over 18,000 people using the ILF across the UK. 

The two Funds were united by the Independent Living (2006) Funds Trust Deed as of 1 October 2007.  The ILF continues to fund existing users and new applicants.

The ILF is based in Nottingham.  Around 180 members of staff and over 90 self-employed regionally based ILF Assessors help administer the ILF.