MCHB Discretionary Grants Information System: Frequently Asked Questions

This frequently asked questions (FAQs) webpage answers commonly asked questions from MCHB grantees about the Discretionary Grants Information System (DGIS). Topics include general questions about DGIS reporting and the upcoming transition to redesigned DGIS forms.

General FAQs about DGIS
What is the DGIS?
What kinds of information do grantees report to DGIS?
What are the different DGIS performance reports?
How often do grantees have to submit data to DGIS?
When are DGIS reports available and due for grantees?
What should grantees do if they have unusual circumstances that affect when they can submit a DGIS report or when the system can create a DGIS report?
What is a DGIS form?
How can grantees find out which DGIS forms have been assigned to them?
What if grantees have a question about a specific measure in a DGIS form?
How long does it take for grantees to complete a report and submit to DGIS?
I have other DGIS-related questions that are not addressed in this FAQs document. Who should I contact?
Where can I find more information about DGIS?

FAQs about the redesigned DGIS forms
When did the transition to the redesigned DGIS forms take place?
How is the transition to the redesigned DGIS forms being implemented?
Where can grantees find out which redesigned DGIS forms will be (or have been) assigned to them?
Will there be resources to prepare grantees for the transition to redesigned DGIS forms?

General FAQs about DGIS

What is the DGIS?

DGIS stands for Discretionary Grants Information System. It’s a grantee data reporting system in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks. All MCHB discretionary grantees are required to report performance data to DGIS regularly, with a few exceptions.

What kinds of information do grantees report to DGIS?

Grantees report on:

• Performance data
• Financial data
• Other program data (for example, program goals, types of activities, number of people reached).

Some MCHB programs request program-specific information from their grantees.

What are the different DGIS performance reports?

MCHB collects performance data on discretionary grants at pre-defined periods through DGIS. Performance reports cover each year of funding for discretionary awards. They include three report types:

• New Competing Performance Report (NCPR), assigned near the beginning of the funding cycle
• Non-competing Continuation Performance Report (NCCPR), assigned at the end of each funding year (except the final year)
• Project Period End Report (PPER), assigned at the end of the funding cycle

How often do grantees have to submit data to DGIS?

Each grantee must submit a DGIS report annually. The type of report they submit—NCPR, NCCPR, or PPER—depends on where they are in their funding cycle.

When are DGIS reports available and due for grantees?

In MCHB, discretionary awards are released throughout the year. Once a discretionary Notice of Award has been released to a grantee, the Electronic Handbooks system creates a performance report based on the grantee’s reporting cycle. The system uses a set of rules and logic to determine a report’s availability and due date. In general:

• If the grantee received a Type 1 (New) OR Type 2 (Competing Continuation) award, they should receive an NCPR on the first day of the project period. The NCPR is due within 120 days. The report should cover activities up to the date of submission.
• If the grantee received a Type 5 (Non-competing Continuation) award, they should receive an NCCPR on the first day of the budget period. The NCCPR is due within 120 days. The report should cover activities during the previous budget period.
• If the grantee is in the final year of the project period, they should receive a PPER at the end of the project period. The PPER is due within 90 days. The report should cover activities during the previous budget period. Note that the PPER does not cover activities for the entire duration of the funding cycle.

Report type	Reporting period	Available date (date grantee can start working on the report)	Report due within (number of days from the available date)
New Competing Performance Report (NCPR)	Project period start date – current date	Project period start date	120* days
Non-competing Continuation Performance Report (NCCPR)	Past budget period	Budget period start date	120* days
Project Period End Report (PPER)	Past budget period	Project period end date	90 days

*For Healthy Start Programs (H49 and H67), the report is due within 90 days.

What should grantees do if they have unusual circumstances that affect when they can submit a DGIS report or when the system can create a DGIS report?

Grantees should reach out to their Project Officer (PO) in the following situations:

• They’ve received a new award or a non-competing continuation award, or their project period has ended and they did not receive a DGIS report.
• They’re a transfer award grantee. The DGIS currently does not automatically create reports for transfer awards.
• They’ve received an extension and their DGIS report does not reflect the budget or reporting periods accurately.
• They received their award after their budget period start date. If the Notice of Award is released more than 14 days after the budget period start date, the DGIS does not automatically create the report. MCHB will have to create the report manually.

What is a DGIS form?

Each type of DGIS report (NCPR, NCCPR, PPER) assigns a set of forms that grantees must complete. Forms cover a range of information and performance measures.  The most recent OMB package of forms (for the “redesigned DGIS forms”) was approved in December 2023. It was implemented in DGIS on August 1, 2024.

How can grantees find out which DGIS forms have been assigned to them?

Each grantee must complete only the forms that are related to their project activities. Grantees can refer to the program-manual link in the Notice of Funding Opportunity to see which forms were assigned to them. If no link was provided in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, grantees should contact their PO for a list of assigned forms.

What if grantees have a question about a specific measure in a DGIS form?

The DGIS User Guide provides information, guidance, and instructions for completing DGIS Performance Reports. It includes instructions on the forms and measures, as well as screenshots of each field in the system. The guide also describes field-level validations that help ensure submitted responses meet specific rules and criteria. Grantees should contact their PO with any questions the User Guide does not answer.

How long does it take for grantees to complete a report and submit to DGIS?

The amount of time it takes to complete a report will depend on the set of DGIS forms assigned to each grantee. The time required may vary based on the following:

• Number and complexity of forms
• Grantee’s experience/familiarity with reporting
• Grantee’s systems/processes for collecting and compiling information necessary for reporting

I have other DGIS-related questions that are not addressed in this FAQs document. Who should I contact?

Please contact your PO with further questions.

Where can I find more information about DGIS?

You can find more information on the public-facing DGIS website.

FAQs about the redesigned DGIS forms

Where can I access the redesigned DGIS forms?

To comply with January 2025 Presidential Executive Orders, we took down the forms and are making them compliant. We will put the forms back up as soon as possible.

When did the transition to the redesigned DGIS forms take place?

The redesigned forms were implemented in DGIS on August 1, 2024. DGIS reports created on or after that date follow the new measures format. As a reminder, DGIS reports are generally created on the first day of the program budget period. 

How is the transition to the redesigned DGIS forms being implemented?

All DGIS reports created on or after August 1, 2024, will be transitioned to the redesigned forms. The transition will take place regardless of where a grantee is in their funding cycle (Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, etc.). There are two exceptions to this:

• Grantees with funding cycles starting up to two months before the August 1 transition date (June 1 – July 31, 2024): They will start their DGIS reporting with the redesigned forms. The system will hold off on creating reports for New Competing Performance Reports (NCPRs) until August 1, 2024.
• Grantees whose next report is on or after August 1, 2024, and the report will be their final DGIS report (Project Period End Report [PPER]): They will finish their DGIS reporting with the previous forms. This will allow grantees to close out their projects using a consistent set of forms.

Where can grantees find out which redesigned DGIS forms will be (or have been) assigned to them?

Grantees should reach out to their Project Officer (PO) to request a list of redesigned DGIS form assignments.

Are there additional resources to help grantees with the transition to redesigned DGIS forms?

Grantees should look for more communications in the coming months, via the MCHB Partners in Progress newsletter, emails from their project officer, and the MCHB DGIS website.