AWS-funded cost optimization: what AWS pays for, and what you pay for.
AWS does not publish a program that pays for cost reviews on their own. Partner funding is tied to new work: MAP for a migration, POC funding for a test, and incremental workload (IW) funding for new work on AWS. A Well-Architected Review of the cost pillar is still the best map of where your bill leaks, and you can run it yourself at no charge.
- AWS partner funding is tied to new work: MAP when you move to AWS, POC funding when you test something, and incremental workload (IW) funding when you launch new work on AWS. A cost review of what you already run is not one of those routes.
- Some partners mention credits for fixing issues found in a Well-Architected Review. A 2019 AWS Partner Network blog post described such credits. AWS does not publish current terms on a program page we could find, so ask the partner what applies today.
- You can run a cost-pillar review yourself with the AWS Well-Architected Tool, which AWS offers at no additional charge. A partner helps when you lack the time, or when the fixes come with a migration, a test or a new workload that can qualify for funding.
IWhat AWS pays for, and what it does not
AWS funding through partners is tied to a qualifying project and AWS approval. Cost reviews on their own are not a named route.
A vetted AWS partner can file three kinds of funding for startups: MAP when you move a workload to AWS, POC funding when you test something, and incremental workload (IW) funding when you launch new work on AWS. For startups: $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves.
Remediation credits after a partner-led Well-Architected Review: a 2019 AWS Partner Network guest post said AWS provides credits when the customer moves forward with fixes found in the review. AWS does not publish current terms on a program page we could find on 10 October 2026. Treat it as something to ask about, not something to plan around.
An earlier version of this page said AWS pays partners for every cost review, that the fixes are credit-funded, and that bills typically drop by a fixed percentage. We could not source those claims, so we removed them.
| Funding | Who files it | Amount | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) | Your matched AWS partner | $50K to $150K for startups. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. | You are not on AWS yet and want to migrate. |
| Proof of concept (POC) funding | Your matched AWS partner | $50K to $150K for startups. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. | You want to test something, whether or not you are on AWS today. |
| Incremental workload (IW) funding | Your matched AWS partner | $50K to $150K for startups. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. | You are already on AWS and are launching new work: a new AI feature, a new customer or a new contract. |
IIThe Well-Architected cost optimization pillar
A cost review is framed by the AWS Well-Architected Framework. Its cost pillar tells you what a reviewer looks at and where money usually leaks.
The Framework has six pillars: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization and Sustainability. A review walks a workload through questions in each pillar and records high and medium risk issues. The cost optimization pillar is built on five design principles:
- Implement cloud financial management: Someone owns cost, resources are tagged, and there is a process. Untagged resources and "nobody owns the bill" are classic findings.
- Adopt a consumption model: Pay for what you use. Always-on dev and staging, oversized instances and idle load balancers show up here.
- Measure overall efficiency: Track cost per unit of business value, such as per customer or per request, so you can tell efficient growth from waste.
- Stop spending money on undifferentiated heavy lifting: Self-hosted databases, queues and search clusters often cost more in total than the managed service.
- Analyze and attribute expenditure: See by tag and service where the money goes, and act on it with Cost Explorer, anomaly detection and allocation tags.
IIIWhere the savings usually come from
The same handful of issues shows up in most growing AWS accounts. Your mix decides which ones move the bill most.
- Right-sizing compute: Instances sized for a guessed peak and running mostly idle. Resize, or scale on demand.
- Savings Plans and Reserved Instances: Steady workloads paying on-demand rates. Commit for the predictable baseline only. Note that AWS credits do not pay Savings Plans or Reserved Instance upfront fees.
- Graviton: Workloads that run fine on Arm but sit on x86 instances.
- Storage tiering and clean-up: Cold data in hot S3 tiers, orphaned EBS volumes and old snapshots. Lifecycle rules and clean-up help.
- Idle resources: Non-production running all night, idle NAT gateways and load balancers, forgotten endpoints.
- Data transfer: Cross-AZ traffic, NAT gateway charges and inter-Region transfer that a VPC endpoint or a topology change can remove.
- Managed services: Self-run databases and clusters that cost more in instances and operations than the managed equivalent.
IVHow to start
You can do most of this yourself. A partner helps when time is short or when the work comes with a project that can qualify for funding.
- Run the review yourself: Open the AWS Well-Architected Tool in your account. AWS says there is no additional charge for it; you pay only for your resources.
- Use the free AWS cost tools: Cost Explorer for trends and forecasts, Compute Optimizer for right-sizing, and Trusted Advisor checks for idle resources.
- Fix the cheap wins first: Idle resources, storage clean-up and scheduling non-production usually need no architecture change.
- Bring in a partner for bigger moves: If the fixes include moving a workload to AWS, testing a new design, or launching new work on AWS, a partner can check MAP, POC or IW funding for that work.
How a match works (example)
- You tell us about the work
You fill in a short form: what you run today, what you want to move, test or build, your stage and your region.
- We pick one partner
We read your answers and pick one vetted AWS consulting partner that fits the work, the stack and the region. We reply within 24 hours; your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days.
- The partner checks which funding fits
Your matched partner scopes the work with you. Then it checks which partner-filed funding fits: MAP if you are moving to AWS, POC if you want to test something, or incremental workload (IW) funding if you are already on AWS and launching new work.
- The partner files, AWS decides
If the work qualifies, the partner files the funding request with AWS. AWS reviews it and decides. The amount depends on the workload.
- You pay nothing
CloudRoute is free for startups. Partners pay CloudRoute a monthly membership plus 10% of AWS-approved funding.
AWS Activate credits are separate, and you apply for them yourself. Use Activate Founders if no investor backs you. Use Activate Portfolio with the Org ID or invite from your VC, accelerator, incubator or angel group if it is an Activate Provider. A consulting partner cannot apply for Activate on your behalf.
Common questions
Does AWS pay for cost optimization?
Are there AWS credits for fixing Well-Architected Review findings?
Can I run a Well-Architected Review myself?
When does a partner make sense?
Do AWS credits pay for Savings Plans?
Cutting cost as part of a bigger move?
If your fixes come with a migration, a test or new work on AWS, a vetted partner can check MAP, POC or IW funding for it: $50K to $150K for startups. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. We reply within 24 hours; your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days.