What do project names in HMIS mean?

Date Created: 7/20/2026 | Date Updated:

What this is

All HMIS project names follow a standard naming convention. The abbreviations used in the naming convention tell you about what type of project it is, where it is located, how it is funded, and more.

In this article

• HMIS Participating Projects
• Non-Participating Projects (NPPs)
• HMIS Components glossary

HMIS Participating Project Names

If you agency uses HMIS for data entry, your project(s) names will be made of at least five different components, but sometimes up to 7.

Project naming convention diagram:

This diagram breaks down an HMIS project name into each of its components. You can reference the glossary section of this article for an explanation of what each component means.

Non-Participating Projects (NPPs)

If your project does not use HMIS for data entry, your project(s) names will generally follow a standard naming convention made of four different components.

• Example: Agency Name-Project Type-CoC-NPP-Project Descriptor

Note that "NPP" (non-participating project) is an unalterable component.

Project naming convention glossary

This glossary is organized by the number components that make up an HMIS project name and defines each abbreviation and acronym used for them.

Component 1: Agency Name or Abbreviation

Project names will typically use your agency's acronym or an abbreviation. To find your agency’s abbreviation, search the HMIS Participating Agencies page.

Component 2: Project Type

Most project types have abbreviations which have been standardized by HUD:

Component 3: Continuum of Care (CoC)

Minnesota is divided into 10 Continuum of Care regions and one Tribal Collaborative.

If your agency has a project that operates in multiple CoCs it will follow this protocol: CoCs will be separated using a forward slash (/) and should maintain alphabetical order.

Example: Agency Name-Project Type-CoC/CoC/...-Funder-Funder Program-Project Descriptor

Components 4 and 5: Funder and Funder Program

If your project has multiple funding sources it will follow this protocol: funders and funder programs will be separated using a forward slash (/). Federal funding should be named first, then State funding; otherwise it will maintain alphabetical order. Private and/or local funding that does not have a grant defined workflow will have “Other” as its component.

Example: Agency Name-Project Type-CoC-Funder-Funder Program/Funder-Funder Program/...-Project Descriptor

Components 6 and 7: Grantee, Project Name, Reference Name, etc...

• Component 6: This component provides additional specifics related to the funder and funder program. FHPAP and ESG, for example, will have a grantee named for component 6.
• Component 7: This component is designed as a quick reference point for your agency. Your agency can choose what to use for this component. For example, you can use a location, program name, building number. This component is an optional field.

ESG Grantees

FHPAP Grantees

Do you see “Other” in a component of your project’s name? The word "Other" is used where detailed project information would typically appear when the component is not included in our HMIS project naming convention standards. For example, a project funded by a source that does not require HMIS data collection would look like the following: Agency Name-Project Type-CoC-Other-Project Descriptor