The AWS POC program, explained: who files POC funding, what POC credits pay for and how to get them.

IWhat is AWS POC funding?

It is one of the funding benefits AWS gives its partners. AWS uses it to fund a proof of concept: a small, scoped test that shows whether a workload works on AWS.

AWS's partner funding page puts it in one line. For partner-led opportunities, it says, funds are available to help partners "explore proof of concepts". The reader of that page is the partner, not the startup.

The money can reach your project in two forms. AWS Partner Central's docs say partners receive funding "in the form of cash or AWS Promotional Credits depending on the specific funding option." For a POC that can mean credits for the AWS usage of the test, cash to the partner for its work on it, or both. Ask your partner which form your request takes, and what, if anything, is left for you to pay.

Typical tests for a startup: an AI feature on Amazon Bedrock, such as an assistant that answers support questions from your docs; a new data pipeline or analytics setup; or one part of your product running on AWS before you decide to move the rest.

IIWho files POC funding, and who decides?

An AWS partner files it. AWS decides. You do not apply for it yourself, and CloudRoute does not file anything.

Partners request funding in the AWS Partner Funding Portal inside AWS Partner Central. A startup has no login there. AWS's co-selling docs also say partners in the APN Customer Engagements program (ACE) "create, share and receive opportunities" with AWS. A partner usually registers your project as one of those opportunities before it asks for funding.

Not every partner can file. AWS Partner Central grays out the fund request button when a partner is not eligible for a type of funding "due to Partner Path status". So ask any partner you talk to whether it can file POC funding today.

Activate works the other way round. You apply for it yourself, and no partner can file it for you. The table shows every route side by side, and our guide to AWS funding for startups walks through each one. Partner amounts are from CloudRoute's partner records; Activate amounts are from AWS's credits page. Both checked on October 10, 2026.

IIIHow does AWS review a POC fund request?

AWS documents each stage a partner fund request moves through. A POC request gets two checks that not every program has.

The stages below come from AWS Partner Central's guide to fund requests, checked on October 10, 2026. AWS groups POC funding under its "Sell" funding motion.

• AWS Review: An AWS reviewer looks at the request. AWS lists this stage for POC funding and a few other programs, not for all of them.
• Tech Approval: A Partner Solutions Architect at AWS checks that the project plan or statement of work is technically feasible. AWS lists this stage only for POC funding.
• Business Approval: A business approver at AWS reviews the request. Who that is depends on the program.
• Finance Approval: AWS operations issues a purchase order for a cash request, or generates codes for a credit request.
• Pre-Approval: All approvals are in, and the partner can begin the work. A credit request stays at this stage until its credit codes are handed out and applied.
• Claim and completion: When the project or a milestone is done, the partner submits the actual results. AWS reviews them before it pays a cash claim.

Three things follow for you. First, the plan matters, because an AWS solutions architect reads it. Second, the work starts after approval, so raise funding before you start the test, not after. Third, AWS does not publish a review time for partner funding, so ask your partner what to expect for your request.

IVWhat does a POC plan need to show?

Your partner writes the plan. You supply the facts. These are the questions a partner will ask before it files.

• What are you testing? One paragraph: what you want to prove, for which product or customer, and why it matters now.
• How will you know it worked? A measure you can check at the end. For an AI feature that could be answer quality on a set of real past questions, response time, or cost per request.
• Which AWS services does it use? For example Amazon Bedrock and a vector store for an AI assistant, or compute, storage and a database for a new service.
• How much AWS usage will the test add? A monthly estimate is enough to start. AWS Cost Explorer forecasts spend up to 18 months ahead (monthly view). (AWS docs)
• What is in scope, and when? What the test covers, what it does not, and the month you want to start and finish.
• What happens if it works? Your next step on AWS: launch the feature, move a workload, or take on the customer. A partner will ask about this.

Specific tests are easier to put forward than open-ended ones. "Explore generative AI" is not a plan. "Answer support tickets from our help docs with Claude on Amazon Bedrock, and check the answers against 300 past tickets" is.

VHow much POC funding can a startup get?

For startups, POC funding filed by a partner is $50K to $150K in CloudRoute's partner records. Depends on the workload; AWS approves.

That range is not an AWS price list. AWS does not publish POC amounts. The amount follows the test: what it covers, which services it uses and how much AWS usage it adds. A partner cannot promise a figure before AWS decides.

For a self-funded startup with a real test to run, the partner route is the larger one. Activate Founders, which you apply for yourself, is $1,000 to start, and AWS says select startups get up to $5,000.

Partner funding programs reach about $1M, but that tier is for enterprises such as banks, hospitals and municipalities, not startups.

POC credits are tied to the project. AWS's promotional credit terms say credits given for "a specific scope or purpose" are used only to support that project, and can depend on milestones AWS confirms. AWS promotional credits do not pay Savings Plans or Reserved Instance upfront fees.

VIPOC, MAP or IW: which partner route fits?

Your matched partner files all three, and AWS approves each one. The difference is your situation.

A test often comes first. If it works and you then move a workload to AWS, that move can be a MAP project. If you already run on AWS and launch what you tested, that new work can be IW. Your partner tells you which route fits each stage, and AWS decides.

More on each: AWS MAP funding for startup migrations, AWS incremental workload funding and AWS Bedrock credits.

VIICan you get POC funding without a partner?

Not POC funding itself: it is a partner benefit. But you may not need it. Here is the honest list.

• You are self-funded and the test is small: Apply for Activate Founders yourself at aws.amazon.com/startups/credits: $1,000 to start, up to $5,000. AWS says you hear back within 5 to 10 business days. Activate credits also pay for third-party models on Amazon Bedrock (AWS announcement, April 2024). Every tier: AWS Activate credits for startups.
• An Activate Provider backs you: Apply for Activate Portfolio yourself with the Org ID from your VC, accelerator or angel group: up to $200,000. Apply within 12 months of your latest funding date.
• You already have an AWS account manager: Ask them. AWS Credits for AI Startups is $200,000 or more, by invitation, and AWS says to talk with your account manager.
• You want to choose a partner yourself: Use AWS's own directory, Find an AWS Partner. Ask each firm whether it can file POC funding today and what it charges for the work.
• Your team will run the test alone: POC funding goes with partner-led work. If no partner is involved, Activate is your route.

If none of these fit and you have a real test to run, one conversation with an AWS consulting partner can tell you whether it qualifies. CloudRoute can pick that partner for you, for free.