Funeral Consumers Alliance

/Home/* HELP & LINKS

About the FCA

Funeral Consumers Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting a consumer's right to choose a meaningful, dignified, affordable funeral.

To accomplish that goal, FCA:
* offers pamphlets and newsletters on funeral choices to increase public awareness of funeral options, including how to care for your own dead without using a funeral home
* monitors funeral industry trends and practices nationally and exposes abuses
* serves as a consumer advocate for legal and regulatory reform, giving advice on or lobbying for necessary changes locally, state-wide, or nationally
* serves as a credible source of information for media covering death and dying
* works with national organizations sharing similar concerns to expand families' choices and control over funeral options
* gives advice and guidance to local memorial and funeral planning societies
* refers people to local funeral planning societies and regulatory agencies
* helps 100 funeral planning societies stay in touch with each other and exchange ideas

Funeral Consumers Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To see a copy of our Form 990, which documents our income and expenditures to the IRS, please visit Guidestar.

The FCA Board of Directors comes from all around the United States, and has adopted these Bylaws governing FCA's operations.

Our affiliates are nonsectarian, nonprofit, educational organizations. They were first started in the late 1930s (known then as Memorial Societies) because of two influences: the depression and the increasing cost of funerals due to the use of embalming and more elaborate manufactured caskets. There are now more than 150 nonprofit funeral-planning groups—in most states of the U.S. and in the provinces of Canada.

Many affiliates, with the help of their volunteers, do a price survey of area mortuaries. Some have been able to negotiate a discount at participating funeral homes, sort of like a cooperative buyers' club. (Members rarely spend more than $1,000 for a simple cremation, or $2,000 for a burial). In addition, your membership supports the social action needed to expand and protect a consumer's last rights.

It always pays to plan ahead. It rarely pays to pay ahead.

As the only organization monitoring the funeral industry for consumers, your support is appreciated. Please consider becoming a Friend of FCA.

Copyright for material on this web site is held by FCA unless otherwise noted. You are free to store and reproduce this information for your personal use. When sharing this information with others, please display the notice: Copyright © FCA. It would be helpful if you would include a link or reference to our home page: http://www.funerals.org.

Contact Us

Joshua Slocum
Executive Director
Funeral Consumers Alliance
33 Patchen Rd
South Burlington VT 05403
fca@funerals.org
800 765-0107