This collection contains the papers of Ernest K. Nielsen relating to his participation in civic and community organizations in Springfield, Illinois. It includes correspondence, meeting notes, organizational by-laws, grant applications, reports, and related materials concerning Community Development Block Grants, fair housing, citizens’ energy groups, and community banking. It is divided into six series: Mayor’s Citizens Advisory Committee, Community Development Block Grant Applications and Appraisals, Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation Complaint to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Community Energy Systems, Inc., Access to Housing, Inc., and Community Development Credit Union.

Series I: Mayor’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee, 1976-1982, contains correspondence, meeting notes, subcommittee records, published reports, policy positions, and related records concerning the Advisory Committee’s work. The group was appointed by the Mayor to advise Springfield’s City Council on matters relating to community development. Subjects include citizen participation in community development, housing assistance, energy utilities, and Community Development Block Grant funds. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II: Community Development Block Grant Applications and Appraisals, 1976-1981, contains materials relating to Community Development Block Grants applied for by the City of Springfield, including applications, program summaries, financial summaries, and performance reports. Arranged chronologically.

Series III: Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation Complaint to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1977-1980, contains correspondence, memoranda, notes, and reports documenting a complaint filed in 1978 contending that the City of Springfield’s administration of Community Development Block Grant funds up to that point had been insufficient to meet the needs of the city’s low and moderate income families, and that its current application did not remedy this issue. Arranged alphabetically.

Series IV: Community Energy Systems, Inc., 1979-1983, was a community organization dedicated to energy conservation and the use of solar energy founded in 1979. It was renamed to the Springfield Energy Development Corporation (SEDCO) in 1981/1982. The series’ records include meeting minutes and notes, job descriptions, grant applications, incorporation documents and by-laws, correspondence, newsletters, tax records, and materials relating to community training workshops. Arranged alphabetically.

Series V: Access to Housing, Inc., 1974-1983, was a community organization which lobbied for improvements to fair housing laws and practices, and which attempted to assist people who were having difficulty acquiring housing. Records include correspondence, grant applications, advertisements, meeting notes, casework, incorporation documents and by-laws, newspaper clippings, training materials, and materials relating to Springfield’s use of Community Development Block Grant Funds. Arranged alphabetically.

Series VI: Community Development Credit Union, 1980-1983, contains correspondence, brochures, organizational charts, meeting notes, and reference material relating to the organization’s research on redlining and efforts to promote community economic development by establishing a federally-chartered community development credit union task force. Arranged alphabetically.