TO:	All State Administrative Agency Heads All State Administrative Agency Points of Contact All State Homeland Security Directors All State Emergency Management Directors
FROM:	Matt A. Mayer Acting Executive Director
SUBJECT:	FY05 Grant Reporting - ISIP Submission Information

The purpose of this Information Bulletin is to inform all interested parties about the FY05 Grant Reporting process as the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) has identified the effort thus far. Included in this communication is information on:

1. FY05 Initial Strategy Implementation Plan (ISIP) Submission Dates
2. FY05 ISIP Submission Content
3. FY05 ISIP Technical Assistance Program Details
4. FY04 ISIP State Summary Report Compact Discs
5. General Grant Reporting Helpdesk Information
6. Updates to Data Collection Tool (DCT) State and Urban Area Strategies
7. Appendixes
1. A. FY05 ISIP Technical Assistance Scheduling Process
2. B. DCT Strategy Update Protocols

ODP projects the following schedule for the 2005 grant reporting process.

I. FY05 ISIP Submission Dates

Important FY05 Submission Dates

• January, 2005
  ODP accepting FY05 ISIP Data Entry Technical Assistance Scheduling Requests
• March 14, 2005
  Grants Reporting Tool (GRT) Open for FY05 ISIP Data Entry
• April, 2005
  Anticipated FY05 ISIP Deadline for States with Earliest FY05 Grant Award Dates
• June, 2005
  GRT Open for FY04 and FY05 BSIR Data Entry

*This list of dates does not represent all of the pertinent dates for the upcoming year of grant report submissions to ODP. ODP will be revising and adding to this list periodically.

II. FY05 ISIP Submission Content

For the FY05 ISIP submission, ODP will be offering a modified collection process through the GRT. ODP will verify, through the ISIP submission that states have adhered to the congressionally mandated pass-through requirements for Homeland Security Grant Funds. Additionally, the modified ISIP will track the grant monies to the sub-grantee and project level within a state. States will report to the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) which sub-grantees have received funding, how much funding they received, which grant program the monies came from, and how the monies were applied to projects.

Please note that no solution area or sub-category information is required for the FY05 ISIP. Additionally, the project metrics and funding impact sections are not included in the FY05 ISIP submission. ODP expects all states to submit their ISIP online, via the GRT, within 60 days of the award date. Future awards and fund draw-downs may be withheld if these reports are delinquent.

The modified FY05 ISIP submission will answer the following questions:

1. How much money did each state receive from each grant program?
2. How the monies from each grant program were allocated (project type and title)?
3. Did the state meet the 80% pass-through requirement to sub-grantees within 60 days of the grant award?
4. How much money will be allocated to Management & Administration?
5. To which Homeland Security State or Urban Area Strategy goal and objective is the project expenditure associated?

Additionally, the FY05 ISIP submission will track changes to sub-grantees or projects since the FY04 BSIR submission. Several enhancements to the system will also be present in the GRT for the FY05 ISIP submission, including changes to the "Goals and Objectives" task.

III. FY05 ISIP Technical Assistance Program Details

ODP is again offering data entry Technical Assistance (TA) to assist SAAs with the FY05 ISIP completion and submission process. All states may begin scheduling their FY05 ISIP Data Entry TA sessions immediately. Please see appendix A for details on scheduling.

• FY05 ISIP Data Entry TA Workshop: This workshop assists the state with entering the ISIP data into GRT. ODP will provide staff that will work on site in the state to facilitate data entry by state and local jurisdictions, as well as to enter data collected for the ISIP.
• The data entry TA provider will be sending out FY05 ISIP worksheets at the time FY05 Data Entry is scheduled. Please see appendix A for details on scheduling.
• Frequency: ODP offers one data entry TA per state. Additional TA sessions are based on demonstrated needs. SAAs are advised to work with their Preparedness Officer to determine the proper number of TA workshops.
• Target Audience: SAAs and any personnel designated by the SAA for participation. This should include personnel responsible for developing and updating the projects to be funded through FY05 HSGP and UASI grants, and may include subgrantees. The SAA may also want to include the financial services representative responsible for managing its grant resources. SAAs are advised to include pertinent users who are registered in the GRT.
• How to Request Workshops: Requests for TA workshops must be made through the state's Preparedness Officer. Please see appendix A for details on scheduling.

IV. FY04 ISIP State Summary Report Compact Discs

After receiving the last of the FY04 ISIP submissions in December of 2004, ODP consolidated and validated over 10,000 templates, in consultation with the State Administrative Agencies (SAAs), and then used the information to develop a series of summary reports. On January 14th, ODP sent each SAA office a copy of its FY04 ISIP submission in the form of state summary reports on compact discs. Over a dozen reports were included in the mailing. Also included on the discs was an unformatted file which can be used as a source for state grant management systems. ODP thanks each state and territory for its FY04 ISIP submission and hopes to provide states more access to their grant reporting submissions in the future.

V. General Grant Reporting Helpdesk Information

The Grant Reporting and Assessment Tool Help Line is available to answer grant reporting questions Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Central Standard Time at 1-877-612-HELP (4357).

VI. Updates to DCT State and Urban Area Strategies

The FY05 ISIP submission will again require states to link projects with state and urban area Homeland Security strategies. Please see appendix B for details on updating strategies within the DCT.

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Appendix A

FY05 ISIP Technical Assistance Scheduling Process

All requests for technical assistance must be made in writing and sent through the SAA to ODP. This process consists of the following steps:

1. The SAA sends the request to the corresponding ODP Preparedness Officer. At this time, ODP is offering FY05 ISIP Data Entry TA only. FY05 ISIP Overview TA will be delivered as part of the Data Entry TA.
2. The Preparedness Officer forwards the request to the Technical Assistance Programs Division.
3. Upon receipt of the request, the ODP ISIP TA Manager will give the TA Provider formal permission to contact the TA Requestor to schedule the delivery.
4. Once the TA delivery has been scheduled, the TA Provider will send a confirmation email to the TA Requestor, courtesy copying the CSID (askcsid@dhs.gov), corresponding Preparedness Officer, and ISIP TA Manager. At this time, the TA provider will also furnish electronic copies of FY05 ISIP worksheets to the SAA.
5. The corresponding Preparedness Officer and TA Manager will also be courtesy copied on all subsequent email communication between the TA Provider and TA Requestor.
6. After the TA delivery has been completed, the TA Provider will complete an after action report (AAR) and submit it within seven business days of the workshop to the CSID and the ISIP TA Manager. The CSID will post the AAR to the appropriate state folder on the ODP shared drive, and send an email confirmation to the Preparedness Officer that the AAR has been posted.

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Appendix B

DCT Strategy Update Protocols

Important Dates to Remember:

For the FY05 ISIP Submission

February 21st

• Deadline for making changes to the state strategies in the DCT
• All state strategies must be submitted to ODP by February 21st

February 28th

• Deadline for ODP Preparedness Officers to approve state strategies

Procedure for Making Change to State and Urban Area Strategies within the DCT:

1. SAA/Urban Area Administrator POC contacts their Preparedness Officer (PO) with request to update their state or urban area strategy in the DCT.
2. The PO will work with the SAA/Urban Area Administrator to determine the nature of the changes and the required timeframe.
   • " The Information Management Branch suggests that the Preparedness Officer ensure that only one strategy update will encompass all the necessary changes, including accounting for EMPG and MMRS goals and objectives.
   • " The Information Management Branch suggests that the Preparedness Officers work with states to include any new UASI city strategies in this effort.
   • " Preparedness Officers are also reminded that the deadline for all strategy updates is now February 21st, 2005 to be included in the FY05 ISIP.
3. Preparedness Officers will then put the state and urban area strategies into change request.
   • " Preparedness Officers must stipulate that NO changes should be made to assessment data. The change request is for strategy data only. ODP is working to enhance the system to hold multiple assessments, but until this is done, any changes would overwrite the baseline data and remove history.
4. Once the state strategies have been change requested
   • " DCT State Administrator will make changes to the state strategy and submit to ODP.
   • " DCT Urban area administrator will make changes to the urban area strategy and submit it to the state. The state will then submit the urban area strategy to ODP.
5. Preparedness Officers will review and approve the state and urban area strategies.
   • " Preparedness Officers are encouraged to check the strategies for the following:
   1. Each goal must have at least one associated objective.
   2. Each goal must be indicated in a separate data field.
   3. Each objective must be indicated in a separate data field.
6. The approved state and urban area strategies, and the associated goals and objectives, will be available for the FY05 ISIP collection via the GRT.