AWS MDF Programs — Master Reference
Compiled: June 2026 Status: Current (2026 Program Year)
How AWS MDF Works
MDF is a 50% reimbursement on pre-approved 3rd-party marketing spend — not a grant, not advance cash.
Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
Pre-approval | Submit Activity Funding Proposal (APFP) ≥ 14 days before activity starts |
Claim window | Within 30 days of activity end |
Invoice window | Within 30 days of claim approval |
Mid-year cliff | June 30 — use ≥50% of allocated funds or AWS may claw back up to 100% |
Year-end cutoff | Dec 1 = last day for new requests; Dec 15 = last day to submit claims |
What counts as eligible spend: webinars, events, digital advertising, content syndication, direct mail, PR, tradeshows. All via 3rd-party vendors — you can't pay yourself.
Fund Structure: 3 Tiers
Tier 1 — Strategic (SCA) Cash Funds
Auto-loaded upon designation award. Multiple SCA funds stack sequentially (one exhausted before next loads — NOT simultaneous).
Program | Amount | Who It's For | Key Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|
MSP Designation | $50,000 | Managed service providers | AWS MSP designation (Advanced Tier + 3rd-party annual audit) |
AI Competency | $50,000 | AI/ML ISVs | Pass technical review: 6 domains (inference, SDKs/tooling, interoperability, security, responsible AI, managed compute) |
Agentic AI Category | $25,000 | Agentic AI products (1× only) | AI Competency must be awarded first |
AI Security Category | $25,000 | AI security solutions | AI Competency must be awarded first |
Digital Sovereignty | $25,000 | Sovereign cloud / data residency | Designation + specific workload criteria |
Amazon Security Lake Service Ready | $25,000 | Security Lake integrations | Service Ready designation (note: deprecated June 2027) |
AWS Security IR Ready/Delivery | $25,000 | Security incident response | IR Delivery designation |
Resilience | $25,000 | DR/BC-focused partners | Resilience designation |
SCA note: Partners in SCA programs are NOT eligible for the $10k standard Competency credits — mutually exclusive wallets.
Source: AWS Partner Central > Funding & Programs > Strategic MDF; AWS Partner Funding Benefits Program Guide (2026)
Tier 2 — Growth Area Cash Funds
Require a marketing plan submitted to PMM or vPMM. Load after all SCA funds are exhausted.
Program | Amount | Who It's For | Key Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
Marketplace MDF | up to $75,000 | ISVs with active Marketplace listing | Active public listing + ACE-eligible pipeline + dedicated Marketplace GTM headcount. Three paths: Seller Prime enrollment, performance-based (revenue growth), or PDM nomination. |
WWPS | up to $100,000 | Public sector partners | Invite/nomination by AWS WWPS team |
Enterprise Workload | up to $50,000 | Partners with SAP, Oracle, or VMware customer base | No designation required. Submit marketing plan to PMM. Log opportunities in ACE. |
Amazon Connect | up to $50,000 | Contact center / Connect partners | Connect partnership agreement |
Industry / Line of Business | up to $50,000 | Solutions targeting non-IT buyers (CFO, CMO, HR, logistics) | Marketing plan to PMM targeting LOB persona |
GSP | up to $30,000 | Global System Integrators | Invite only |
ISV Accelerate (ISVA) | up to $25,000 | Software Path ISVs with co-sell traction | Three pillars: Technical (Software Path Validated + ACE eligible) + Operational (active MP listing + Payee Central) + Co-Sell (5 MPPOs post-enrollment + PRM deployed + $50k+ attributed Marketplace revenue) |
SMB Competency | $25,000 + $10k standard = $35,000 total (first 2 years) | SMB-focused ISVs | SMB Competency designation + Partner Business Plan (PBP) created by PDR/PDM, initiative named "SMB Customer Engagement via SMB Competency" |
Source: AWS Partner Central > Funding > MDF Quick Reference; MDF Full Benefits; 2026 Program Changes announcement
Tier 3 — Non-Stackable Credits (Separate Wallet)
Cannot be combined with SCA Tier 1 funds. Own wallet, own rules.
Program | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Standard AWS Competency (earned 2025/2026) | $10,000 each | Per competency: Security, Data & Analytics, Migration, DevOps, IoT, Digital Workplace, etc. One-time per designation. |
Service Ready / Delivery / DQP (earned 2025/2026) | $5,000 each | ⚠️ DEPRECATED — No new applications accepted. All existing designations active until June 1, 2027. |
Any new program/service validation (1×) | $10,000 credit | One-time welcome credit on first validation |
Source: AWS Partner Central > MDF > Cash and Credit Benefits table; 2026 Program Changes page
Other Funding (Not MDF)
Separate budgets — not counted in the MDF totals above.
Program | Amount | Who | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
POC Activity Funds | Up to 10% of expected AWS ARR | All Validated+ partners | Cash or credits. Funds proof-of-concept projects. |
APN Innovation Sandbox Credits | ~3 months of dev costs | Software Path partners | For building new AWS-native solutions |
APN Membership Credits | $3,500 | New APN members | Promotional credits on joining |
MAP Funding (Migration Acceleration Program) | Varies; VMware migrations = $200/VM cash | Services Path, Validated+, Migration Competency | Consulting partners only |
Program Eligibility by Company Profile
Quick guide for sales calls — spot what applies before going deeper.
Company Type | Most Likely Programs | Potential MDF |
|---|---|---|
B2B SaaS ISV, any industry | Marketplace MDF, AWS Competency | $75k–$85k |
AI / ML ISV | AI Competency, Agentic AI, ISVA, Marketplace MDF | $175k |
Cybersecurity ISV | AI Security (if AI Comp held), Security Competency, Marketplace MDF | $85k–$150k |
DevOps / Infrastructure ISV | MSP, Enterprise Workload, AWS Competency, Marketplace MDF | $175k+ |
FinTech / HealthTech / MarTech | Industry/LOB, Marketplace MDF, AWS Competency | $125k–$135k |
SMB-focused | SMB Competency, Marketplace MDF, AWS Competency | $120k |
Key Terms
Term | Definition |
|---|---|
SCA | Strategic Cash Awards — Tier 1 designation-based MDF, auto-loaded, sequential stacking |
ISVA / ISV Accelerate | ISV co-sell program requiring active Marketplace transactions; unlocks $25k MDF |
MPPO | Marketplace Private Offer — a deal transacted through Marketplace with private pricing |
PRM | Partner Resource Management — AWS tracking mechanism (User Agent String or Resource Tagging) |
ACE | AWS Co-Sell Engine — the pipeline/opportunity logging system required for co-sell programs |
FTR | Foundational Technical Review — AWS technical validation for Software Path partners |
APFP | Activity Funding Proposal — the pre-approval form for an MDF activity |
PDM | Partner Development Manager — AWS point of contact for funding and programs |
PMM | Partner Marketing Manager — approves Tier 2 marketing plans |
MSP | Managed Service Provider — partners who run and operate AWS environments for customers |
LOB | Line of Business — non-IT executive buyer (CFO, CMO, CHRO, etc.) |
WWPS | Worldwide Public Sector — AWS division for government and education |
Sources
Source | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
AWS Partner Central — MDF Quick Reference | Primary | partner.amazonaws.com > Funding > MDF Quick Reference (login required) |
AWS Partner Central — MDF Full Benefits | Primary | partner.amazonaws.com > Funding > MDF Benefits Guide (login required) |
AWS Partner Central — 2026 Program Changes | Primary | partner.amazonaws.com > Funding > 2026 Program Changes (login required) |
AWS Partner Funding Benefits Program Guide (2026) | Primary | APN downloadable asset — Portuguese version confirmed; English PDF not publicly available as of June 2026 |
AWS Specialization Partner Benefits | Primary | partner.amazonaws.com > Specialization Programs Guide (login required) |
Strategic MDF for Specializations | Primary | AWS Partner Central > Specializations > Benefits > Strategic MDF (login required) |
Last updated June 2026. AWS MDF programs and amounts change annually — verify with your PDM if they are still valid.