The Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) is an association of artists in Canada founded in Toronto in 1941. The FCA soon had chapters across the country, and was one of the main forces behind formation of the Canada Council in 1957. After this, the national organization withered, and only the British Columbia chapter remained active. A drive for expansion began in 1977, causing a renewal of activity that started in western Canada and then spread. Expansion stalled out in the late 1990s when funding cuts hit the Federation as hard as it hit other arts organization. Renewed vigor by volunteers and staff in recent years has brought new life to the Federation and expansion is again underway. The organization has about 2,700 paying members and 5,000 artist contacts throughout Canada as of the e