The cultural‐variant community‐based participatory research (CV‐CBPR) model expands the traditional community‐based participatory research (CBPR) model and supports the ongoing creation of innovative basic family and translational science. The CV‐CBPR model supports family professionals using a cultural‐variant perspective that discourages the use of a deficit or pathological lens. It also encourages inclusive and culture‐sensitive practices in all stages of a project. After a brief review of diverse types of community or action‐research projects and the nine principles of the traditional CBPR model, a cultural‐variant perspective and related principles are described. We offer lessons learned from two project management experiences: a community‐focused, disaster project with older survivors of Hurricane Katrina and a CBPR arctic‐climate project with Alaska Native grandparents rearing grandchildren.