Community engagement increases the relevance of research to underserved populations and can encourage diverse populations to participate in research. The Institute of Translational Health Sciences partnered with the Health Equity Research Community Advisory Council (an advisory group for a Clinical and Translational Science Award) to develop a community-facing Community Partnership Guide for Engaging with Academic Researchers. The Guide includes a seven-item screener to assist community organizations with deciding which requests from researchers to pursue more fully, step-by-step guidance on how to engage with academic investigators on core project elements (e.g., design, budget), and a template for a memorandum of understanding.