Southeast Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Research Initiative

The Southeast Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) represents a partnership of state-based CEAL programs in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama dedicated to working with communities to identify promising strategies that lead to the dissemination and implementation of science-based interventions to improve health in the region. Communities served face disproportionate burdens of chronic disease — including obesity, hypertension, and metabolic conditions — driven in part by poor diet and limited physical activity.

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity, the Southeast CEAL Research Initiative will fund one (1) research project per state (three (3) projects total) to advance mission-aligned, community-engaged pilot investigation related to nutrition. focused on nutrition and community health.

Award Amount

Up to $25,000 direct costs per site that must be budgeted for activities within that site and its affiliated community for the planned project period of one year (June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027). Indirect costs will not be supported by this program.

Allowable Expenses

Funds can be used for non-faculty personnel expenses (trainee and research staff effort, consultants, analysts, technology support); materials and supplies; research related expenses (analysis costs, participant stipends, lab expenses, etc.); and project-related local and scientific travel.

Not Allowed

Funds cannot be used to support principal investigator (PI, MPI) or other faculty salary. Funds cannot be used for acquiring equipment, other institution-specific limitations on costs or international travel.

Institutional eligibility: Projects must include at least one academic site lead (PI) from UAB, UMMC, or Tulane University, and one community-based site lead affiliated with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Investigator eligibility: SE CEAL Research Initiative Projects are required to identify at least one (1) academic site lead (principal investigator [PI]) from one of the respective sponsoring sites (UAB, UMMC, Tulane) and one (1) community-based site lead.

Academic PIs must be full-time faculty (Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor or institutional equivalent). Postdoctoral fellows, trainees, staff scientists, residents, and health system administrators may not serve as PIs but may participate as co-investigators. Interdisciplinary early career and senior investigator partnerships are encouraged. One proposal per faculty member; faculty with an active grant with overlapping aims are ineligible.

Project focus areas may include (not exhaustive):

• Community-driven nutritional barrier assessments
• Culturally responsive nutrition interventions
• Healthy food access via community–academic partnerships
• Digital health tools for nutrition
• Food security and resilience research
• Nutrition-integrated chronic disease prevention
• Nutrition literacy community strategies
• Maternal and infant dietary exposures
• Policy, Systems & Environmental (PSE) approaches
• Community health worker nutrition engagement

Download the Full NOFO. Submit a single PDF to ccts@uab.edu by Friday, April 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM CT. Applications must follow all formatting guidelines (0.5" margins, Arial 11pt, single-spaced) and include all required components — incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Required components include: Project Narrative (125 words), Research Plan (2 pages), Team Expertise statement (1 page), NIH Biosketches for all leads, PHS398 Budget with Justification (max $25,000), Project Timeline and Next Steps (1 page), and optional Letters of Support.