Background: Chronic diseases pose significant public health challenges in the USA. Recent confirmation of stalled progress in reducing mortality rates and related health disparities calls for innovative, community-driven solutions. The NIH-wide CEAL Initiative has built a community-engaged research (CEnR) platform to develop and test community intervention strategies to address this challenge.

Objective: Describe the CEAL platform and explore its role in supporting communities to improve health.

Methods: CEAL comprises regional research teams (RRT) in 21 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and related research programs. The 21 RRTs conduct a multi-year effort on rigorous community interventions addressing upstream drivers of chronic conditions and risks. A consultative resource (CEACR) serves as a channel for soliciting contextualized community insights and best practices for promoting inclusive participation in research. A CEnR focus on strengthening community resilience to the impacts of climate on health (ACE-CH). A CEnR network for primary care research (NCPCR) is testing the feasibility of using a data ecosystem to support the execution of focuses on randomized controlled clinical trial in uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes complicated by social risks. An Enrichment Initiative in indigenous communities (AI/AN-NHP-EI) is tackling upstream risks related to diet, physical activity, and community social risks that impact chronic cardiometabolic conditions. Two community implementation programs are addressing maternal health (MH-CIP) and strategies to improve pregnancy outcomes (IMPROVE-CIP).

Results: CEAL programs use CEnR to grow trust in science and empower communities to improve their health.

Conclusions: CEAL programs play crucial roles in addressing the burden of chronic diseases.