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Originally released in October 2004, the Discretionary Grant Information System (DGIS) is a web-based system that allows grantees to report their data online to the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) through HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) as part of grant application and performance reporting processes.  

DGIS electronically captures data submitted by the approximately 700 discretionary grant awardees each year. Many of these grants are supported under the Title V MCH Block Grant Federal set-aside programs (SPRANS and CISS) and other categorical programs. The DGIS electronically captures performance measures, program-specific information, annual financial data, and abstract data for MCHB’s discretionary grants. The DGIS data help to demonstrate the impact of these discretionary grants, assess the effectiveness of these programs, inform programmatic planning, and ensure that quality health-related services are available to the nation’s MCH populations. In addition, these data facilitate the alignment between MCHB discretionary programs and the MCH Title V Block Grant program to be able to quantify outcomes across MCHB. 

DGIS captures data in the following categories: 

Financial and Demographic Forms: These forms are completed by all grantees to report financial and demographic information. The forms capture annual budget details, number of individuals served, and project abstracts.   

• • • Measures include: Forms 1-8 

Domain-Specific Measures: This set of performance measures reflect MCHB’s strategic and priority areas. Collectively, they communicate the MCHB “story” to a broad range of stakeholders on the role of MCHB in addressing the needs of MCH populations. Individual grantees respond to a select number of performance measures that are specifically relevant to their program.  

• • • Measures include: Core 1-3, Capacity Building 1-6, Women’s/Maternal Health 1-4, Perinatal/Infant Health 1-3, Child Health 1-4, Children with Special Health Care Needs 1-3, Adolescent Health 1-3, Life Course 1-3 

 Program-Specific Measures: These performance measures include specific measures for a select number of programs in order to demonstrate program impact. Only grantees that are a part of these select programs report on these measures.  

• • • Measures include: Training 1-14, Emergency Medical Services for Children 1-9, Healthy Start 1-9, Family-to-Family 1 

 Other Data Elements: These forms include other data requested by MCHB and capture information that grantees are already reporting for program administration and management purposes for certain grant categories. The information highlights unique characteristics of discretionary grant projects that are not captured in the other forms outlined above. Forms capture grantee technical assistance/collaboration, products and publications, and additional workforce development forms.   

• • • Measures include: Technical Assistance/Collaboration; Products, Publications, and Submissions; Faculty and Staff Information; Long Term Trainees; Former Trainees; Medium Term Trainees; Short Term Trainees; Continuing Education; Trainee Follow-Up Survey 

Due to the diversity of grant categories administered by MCHB, the grant reporting forms and performance measure forms appears extensive. However, each grantee only responds to forms that are applicable to their grant, as assigned by Project Officers. In addition, the performance measure forms use a tiered approach in which grantees are able to report the full breadth of their work in increasing levels of detail.  

The purpose of the User Guide is to provide grantees with information, guidance, and instructions for completing DGIS Performance Reports.  

The DGIS User Guide is split into separate documents:

• • DGIS User Guide part 1 contains the User Guide instructions and an overview of DGIS
  • DGIS User Guide part 2 contains the DGIS User Guide Key Terms Definitions
  • Each type of form, such as Financial Forms or Training Forms, is a separate User Guide

Please note: This instruction manual is intended to primarily provide web system assistance. This manual includes minimal programmatic information and guidance.