--- title: AWS MDF Programs — Master Reference slug: aws-mdf-programs-master-reference createdAt: 2026-06-16T12:24:58.546Z --- **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.*