UK Food as Health Alliance opens $50,000 in pilot funding to tackle food and health challenges
The Food as Health Alliance (FAHA) at the University of Kentucky announced a new round of pilot research funding aimed at improving health through food. FAHA, an initiative of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, will award up to $50,000 in total to UK faculty and eligible UK research investigators whose projects strengthen nutrition, food security, agriculture and community well-being in towns, farms and neighborhoods across Kentucky.
While only UK researchers can lead the projects, the work itself is designed to reach far beyond campus. Funded teams are expected to partner with community organizations, farmers, healthcare providers, schools and local agencies across the state to put research into action.
Applications for UK researchers are open now, and the deadline to apply is Sept. 4, 2026. Funded projects will begin in Nov. 2026 and can run for up to 18 months.
According to FAHA, “The Bluegrass State has long faced serious health challenges tied to food and nutrition. Many families in the state, especially in rural areas, struggle with food insecurity, chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and limited access to fresh, healthy food.”
“A goal of the Food as Health Alliance is to create opportunities for collaboration that might not otherwise occur,” said Makenzie Barr-Porter, Ph.D., co-director of FAHA. “We want this pilot funding program to encourage collaboration across sectors and build the evidence needed to scale impactful programs and attract future investment. We're excited to support projects that advance the connection between food, health and community well-being.”
FAHA believes solving these health challenges takes teamwork across many fields. Its pilot grants will fund projects that can touch every part of the food system: from how food is grown and processed to how it reaches families, clinics and dinner tables. Priority areas include:
- Food and nutrition security
- Food as medicine and chronic disease prevention
- Healthcare and food system partnerships
- Community-engaged research and outreach
- UK Cooperative Extension and community education
- Sustainable agriculture and food systems
Because UK's Cooperative Extension Service reaches all 120 Kentucky counties, projects funded through this program have the potential to move quickly from the research stage into real communities. Local farmers, health clinics, schools, food banks, nonprofits and government agencies can all serve as partners on funded work.
Who can apply
Priority will go to early-career researchers. Each project team must include members from at least two different colleges, centers, institutes or units at UK.
Non-UK community organizations, healthcare providers, nonprofits, government agencies and industry groups cannot apply directly, but they are strongly encouraged to join UK-led teams as collaborators. According to Barr-Porter, partnerships like these are exactly what FAHA is looking to build.
“The goal of the pilot funding program is to give research teams the early support they need to test ideas, gather data and build partnerships. Within 12 to 24 months of finishing their projects, awardees are expected to pursue larger grants from outside funders. That means each pilot project has the chance to grow into a much bigger investment in Kentucky’s health and food systems down the road.”
Awardees will also share their findings at the FAHA Symposium in 2027 or 2028, giving communities across the state a chance to learn from and build on their work.
Eligible UK researchers can find full application details, formatting rules and review criteria in the official Request for Proposals. Applications must be submitted as a single PDF through the online form: https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_enhizwgUAq6Eieq
For more information, email foodashealth@uky.edu.
