The Foundation for Colonial and American Studies (FICAS) was established in 2019 to preserve and express the legacy of the Indigenous, French and Early American communities of the "Illinois Country" as they were during colonial and frontier periods of transition and settlement between ca. 1650 and 1850. FICAS conducts both archival and archaeological research, produces a publication series, provides online access to historical records and maintains a research library, laboratory, and curatorial facility in Springfield, Illinois.