Our Mission
Amplify 850 exists to align Florida State University and Leon County Schools in common purpose: identifying the challenges our students share and solving them together. Through year-round fundraising initiatives, community events, and a signature annual campaign, we channel the energy, talent, and leadership of Tallahassee's college students directly into the schools and neighborhoods that raised so many of us.
Each year, Amplify 850 selects one cause facing our students and rallies the entire capital city around it — building awareness, raising real dollars, and delivering measurable impact where it matters most. But our work goes beyond any single cause. We are building a lasting bridge between the university and the county it calls home: one where FSU students gain the opportunity to lead and serve, where Leon County students gain stages to showcase their talent and grow, and where the community gains a generation of young people invested in each other's success.
We believe Tallahassee's greatest resource has never been its institutions — it is its students, at every age, in every school, who contribute every day to making this city what it is. Amplify 850 exists to make sure they are seen, supported, and heard.
What We Do
Fundraise, Chapter by Chapter
Each high school chapter fundraises toward a goal set by the FSU chapter through school-approved activities, with monthly and yearly incentives for participating Leon County high schools.
Host Masterclasses
The main chapter at FSU collaborates with other organizations and departments on campus to provide once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to learn from and network with FSU undergraduates, graduates, and professors who bring valuable, real-world insight to the table.
Host a Spring Fine Arts and Music Conference
The main FSU chapter will host a fine arts and music conference on Saturday, February 6th, 2027, at the Oglesby Student Union at Florida State University. The event is free for anyone to attend as a spectator, giving students the chance to watch, learn, and find inspiration from their peers. Performers can take part for $5 to compete with a group in general grading, or opt for a more rigorous $10 advanced adjudication track evaluated by graduate students, designed to closely mirror the assessment standards students encounter in school. The conference will showcase four disciplines: art, acting, choral performance, and dance, with them spanning multiple locations across the Union to give each discipline the space and atmosphere it deserves.
Words from Our Community
“Tallahassee has always been a city that values education, creativity, and the potential of our young people. Investing in our students strengthens our entire community. I am pleased to offer my support for Amplify 850, a student-founded initiative bringing together Florida State University and Leon County Schools around a shared commitment to fine arts education.”
“Amplify 850's event aligns with that goal exactly. Structured performance opportunities with credible adjudication are scarce for secondary students in this region outside of school-based assessment, and the conference's low participation cost and free spectator admission make it accessible to students who would otherwise be priced out of that experience.”