Southern Ballroom Coalition

08/11/2026

HPTN 096 Beta Study is here as a Partner of Principle of AMPLIFY: Ballroom Advocacy & Mobilization Conference, and their partnership reflects something rare in research: they trust what Ballroom already knows about survival and healing.

This conference brings members living with HIV and those navigating prevention into one room with equal standing, building the kind of Ballroom outreach that closes gaps in PrEP access and keeps people engaged in care, both at once. That work demands research willing to listen before it measures, to follow community lead instead of setting the agenda. HPTN 096 Beta Study and the team at FHI 360 helped support the space for that to happen. They understand that ending this epidemic requires the voices in this room, not the ones behind the desk. We are deeply grateful for their partnership, and honored to do this work alongside people who believe in research that serves.

08/10/2026

Built by Ballroom, for Ballroom. That is who the Central Florida Ballroom Collective is, and it is why their partnership carries the weight it does. They join AMPLIFY: Ballroom Advocacy & Mobilization Conference as a Partner in Preservation, and the name fits them precisely.

Where they chose to invest tells you what they value. Their support anchors the work of saving our scene, in rooms where Kiki and mainstream come together across generations to close the distance between them and restore the mentorship, recognition, and respect that keep one culture from splitting into two. In another, we reclaim our alliances as bodies accountable to the whole community rather than to any faction within it. Whether Ballroom stands a generation from now rests on conversations like these.

The Central Florida Ballroom Collective understood that without being asked twice. We are deeply grateful for their partnership, and honored to build alongside people who love this scene enough to protect it.

07/29/2026

AMPLIFY 2026: Ballroom Advocacy & Mobilization Conference Agenda 

This year we are answering an SOS: Setting Our Standard, Shaping Our Strategy, Saving Our Scene.

Thursday and Friday are where the work happens. Across two full days, more than 60 community leaders and stakeholders sit down together to name what is threatening our community and decide how we answer it. On the table: the policy moves quietly closing off access to care and prevention, the exhaustion house parents carry without backup, the distance between the Kiki and mainstream scenes, and the honest conversation about safety and accountability our culture has been holding for years.

We are also building something that outlasts the weekend. The Ballroom Health Activations Guide is a community written standard for how providers, funders, and researchers engage with our spaces, and it starts in these rooms.

Standards only mean something when the community's voice is at the table. If there is something you want raised at AMPLIFY, email us at [email protected] so we can bring it forward.

Full agenda at the link:

AMPLIFY 2026 August 19 – 22, 2026 Embassy Suites Orlando International Drive / Convention Center 8978 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819 Setting Our Standard, Shaping Our Strategy, Saving Our Scene Tentative Conference Schedule — Draft for Partner and Session Lead Review Wednesday, August 19...

07/17/2026

As promised, all AMPLIFY 2026 travel scholarship decisions have been sent out.

We want to take a moment to recognize every single person who submitted an application. The time you took to share your story, your work, and your commitment to this community did not go unnoticed. Reviewing these applications is never easy, and this year was no exception — especially in a funding climate that continues to make it harder to invest in the kind of grassroots, community-driven work that shapes real change.

We are excited to welcome this year's cohort and even more excited about what we'll build together in Orlando this August.

This convening is anchored by Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and that timing is intentional. We are not just naming the barriers our community continues to face — we are showing up to do the work of addressing them, developing culturally responsive strategies that meet our people where they are, and pushing forward in a moment that demands both urgency and care.

To everyone who applied, who supports this work, who funds it, who shapes policy around it, and who shows up for our community in ways big and small — thank you. This work only moves forward because of all of us.

More to come as we get closer to August.

07/13/2026

To our AMPLIFY 2026 Community,

On behalf of the Southern Ballroom Coalition and 3 Kings Project, we want to be honest with you. We committed to sending scholarship decisions over two weeks ago, and we did not meet that deadline.

Here is why. Scholarship support for AMPLIFY comes through community partners who each fund specific populations and target areas. This year, several of these partners have been slow to respond, and without their confirmation, we have not been able to determine where that support can go or finalize the full list of attendees. We are not naming names. We simply want you to understand why this has taken longer than we promised. AMPLIFY is approaching, and we have to move forward with what has been confirmed, which means the number of attendees is being adjusted.

There is a certain irony in a conference anchored by Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day running into the very silence it exists to call out. We notice it, and we trust you do too. Every applicant will have an answer no later than Friday, July 17.

AMPLIFY is rooted in the South, and Southern representation remains our top priority. As we grow regionally and beyond, we are building partnerships with care, making sure the communities this conference serves stay at the center of every decision.

Ballroom has proven itself as trusted infrastructure for wellness. Through culturally responsive initiatives led by our own community, we have helped fight substance use and mental health challenges, and we have helped break down the stigma and shame that keep so many of our people from getting the support they deserve. None of that stops because of a setback. We are forging forward.

Ballroom is sacred, and it must be protected at all costs.

If you know an organization or individual willing to support this cause, reach out to us directly so we can connect.

If everyone does a little, no one has to do a lot. Donations of all sizes are welcome and help sustain this mission.

We are grateful for a community that continues to show up and hold space for us, and we are pouring everything into bringing AMPLIFY 2026 to life for all of you.

- Southern Ballroom Coalition & 3 Kings Project

06/12/2026

Help Shape the Future of Ballroom Advocacy in the South.

Partnership opportunities are now available for AMPLIFY 2026: SOS — Ballroom Advocacy & Mobilization Conference.

This four-day gathering will bring together Ballroom leaders, public health professionals, advocates, and community organizations from across the South to advance health equity, strengthen leadership, and build solutions that move our communities forward.

We’re seeking sponsors, exhibitors, and strategic partners who are committed to investing in Black and Brown LGBTQ+ communities and supporting Ballroom-led advocacy, health, and mobilization efforts.

Ready to join us? View our sponsorship opportunities here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K_MaUaTw1u7lTW4vRFEXWUX_Avvc2m85/view?usp=drivesdk

06/08/2026

Final Call: AMPLIFY 2026 Applications Close Tonight

Be part of the room where the work gets done.

📅 Aug 19–22, 2026 | 📍 Orlando, FL

⏰ 11:59 PM is your deadline — don’t miss it

✈️ Travel scholarships available for selected participants

🔗 Apply now: https://forms.gle/tvHkrATssPrdHYbF8

Questions? Contact (704) 900-0714.

Please complete this application in full. All sections are required. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM Eastern on June 8, 2026. Submitting this form does not guarantee acceptance, and late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

06/02/2026

AMPLIFY 2026 Applications Close Jun 8.

Six days. One opportunity. Be part of the room where the work gets done.

📅 Aug 19–22, 2026 | 📍 Orlando, FL

✈️ Travel scholarships available for selected participants

🔗 Apply now: https://forms.gle/tvHkrATssPrdHYbF8

Questions? Contact (704) 900-0714.

05/31/2026

There’s still time to apply!

Submit your application by June 8 and be part of the experience.

Apply here:

Please complete this application in full. All sections are required. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM Eastern on June 8, 2026. Submitting this form does not guarantee acceptance, and late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

05/27/2026

There’s still time to apply for AMPLIFY 2026.

Submit your application by June 8 and be part of the experience.

Apply here: https://forms.gle/tvHkrATssPrdHYbF8