The entire cohort of Alabama-based Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) wrote to the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Richard Shelby, urging the Senator to support $1 billion in emergency funding for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury in the next economic stimulus package. These institutions further urged Congress to waive any matching funds requirements to get funds onto the street expeditiously. Given the CDFI Fund's reputation as one of the Federal government’s best market-based strategies for restoring economic vitality in underserved markets, the resources will be vital to stabilizing Alabama’s economy, preserving jobs, and creating new job opportunities.