AWS funding for startups: who files what.

IWho files each kind of AWS funding?

One table with every route a startup can use. Partner routes come first, because for most startups without a VC they are the larger ones.

Read the "Who files it" column first. It tells you whether you need a partner at all.

Partner amounts are from CloudRoute's partner records. Activate amounts are from AWS's credits page. Both were checked on October 10, 2026. AWS can change any of them, and AWS decides every request.

IIWhat does "partner-filed" mean?

It means an AWS consulting partner, not you, asks AWS for the funding. The request is tied to work the partner does with you.

AWS runs funding programs for its partners. AWS's partner funding page is written for AWS Partners. It says that for partner-led opportunities, funds are available "to help you build customer pipeline, explore proof of concepts, and accelerate migration projects". Partners submit those requests through the AWS Partner Funding Portal in AWS Partner Central.

Partners also share customer opportunities with AWS through the APN Customer Engagements (ACE) program, a partner tool inside AWS Partner Central. You may hear the word ACE from partners. As a founder you never log in to it.

Three partner routes matter for startups: MAP for a move to AWS, POC for a test, and IW for new work on an AWS account you already run. Each has the same shape. A partner scopes real work with you, checks that it qualifies, files the request, and AWS decides.

So "partner-filed" describes who asks, and the asking is tied to a project. It is not a faster lane to the credits you could apply for yourself.

IIIWhy can't a partner file Activate for you?

Because Activate is built for founders to apply directly. AWS's own steps start with your AWS Builder ID.

AWS's credits page lists the steps: create an AWS Builder ID, choose your tier, tell AWS about your startup, then link your AWS account and submit. Founders is for self-funded startups and needs nothing else. Portfolio needs an Org ID from an Activate Provider.

AWS's Activate FAQ says providers include "accelerators, angel investors, venture capital firms, and startup-enabling organizations". Your provider gives you the Org ID, or invites you. You still apply yourself.

A consulting partner is not a stand-in for a provider. It cannot submit Portfolio for you, and it cannot vouch you into a higher Activate tier. Older guides, including an earlier version of this page, said a partner could. That was wrong.

Where a partner earns its place is the work itself, and the MAP, POC or IW funding that comes with the work.

IVWho files MAP migration funding?

You are not on AWS yet and want to migrate. Your matched AWS partner files MAP funding. The migration qualifies and AWS approves it.

AWS's MAP page says MAP provides "tools, training, expertise from AWS Migration Competency Partners, and financial investments". It runs in three phases: Assess, Mobilize, and Migrate and Modernize. AWS says it helps you "offset initial migration costs".

AWS's partner funding page says MAP funds support migrations "of any size or workload", and partners receive them as "cash or AWS promotional credits". AWS offers migration investments, as AWS credits or partner investments, to offset one-time migration costs.

AWS says MAP is based on thousands of enterprise migrations, and the largest partner funding goes to enterprises. For startups, CloudRoute's partner records put MAP funding at $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves.

Typical startup fits: Heroku, Google Cloud, Azure, DigitalOcean or your own servers to AWS. More on AWS MAP funding for startups, and on choosing a partner for the move: AWS migration services.

VWho files POC funding for a test?

You want to test something, whether or not you are on AWS today. Your matched AWS partner files POC funding. The test qualifies and AWS approves it.

AWS's partner funding page lists exploring "proof of concepts" among the uses of partner funds. A POC is a scoped test with a clear question. Will this AI feature work on Amazon Bedrock? Can this pipeline handle our data? Is this architecture worth the move?

For startups, CloudRoute's partner records put POC funding at $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. AWS does not publish startup POC amounts, so if someone quotes you a fixed figure, ask where it comes from.

More on the AWS POC program and POC credits.

VIWho files IW funding for new work on AWS?

You are already on AWS and are launching new work: a new AI feature, a new customer or a new contract. Your matched AWS partner files IW funding. The new workload qualifies and AWS approves it.

Incremental means on top of what you already run. A new AI feature, a new customer that needs its own environment, a new contract that needs new infrastructure. Your current AWS bill is the baseline, not the thing being funded.

AWS does not name IW funding on a public page. The route comes from how AWS partners file this work and from CloudRoute's partner records. Your partner can tell you which program it will file under.

For startups, the range is $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. More on AWS incremental workload funding.

VIIWhich AWS credits do you apply for yourself?

AWS's credits page shows three Activate options today. You apply for each one yourself, or by invitation.

• AWS Activate Founders: $1,000 to start, up to $5,000. Self-funded startups with no investor or accelerator behind them. Apply yourself at aws.amazon.com/startups/credits. No investor, accelerator or partner needed.
• AWS Activate Portfolio: up to $200,000. Startups backed by a VC firm, accelerator or angel investor that is an AWS Activate Provider. Apply yourself with the Org ID (or an invite) from your AWS Activate Provider. Apply within 12 months of your latest funding date. A consulting partner cannot file it.
• AWS Credits for AI Startups: $200,000 or more, by invitation. AI startups ready to scale after Activate Portfolio, invited by AWS. Invite only. Talk with your AWS account manager. There is no open application.

AWS says Activate applicants hear back within 5 to 10 business days. AWS's Activate FAQ says about 7 to 10 business days. AWS says Activate credits usually expire within 1 to 2 years, depending on the package.

AWS promotional credits do not pay Savings Plans or Reserved Instance upfront fees. AWS's Activate FAQ also lists services credits do not cover, such as AWS Professional Services and AWS Training and Certification.

Older guides still quote an old, lower Portfolio ceiling. AWS's credits page now says up to $200,000. If a guide lists Activate tiers other than these three, check it against AWS's page.

Every Activate tier, with its rules: AWS Activate credits for startups. Activate is the AWS startup program most founders hear about first; for both doors at once, see AWS startup programs and a free partner match.

VIIIWhat happens when a partner files for you?

The partner does the filing. Your part is to describe the work clearly and to agree the terms before anything is filed.

• You describe the work: What you run today, what you want to move, test or build, and roughly how much AWS it will use. Plain answers beat big numbers.
• The partner scopes it: It turns your answers into a scoped project and checks which route fits: MAP, POC or IW.
• You agree the terms: What the partner will do, what the funding is expected to cover, and what you would pay for, if anything. Get it in writing.
• The partner files the request: It submits the funding request to AWS through AWS Partner Central. You do not log in anywhere.
• AWS decides: AWS reviews the request and decides. AWS does not publish a review time for partner funding, so ask your partner what to expect.
• The work starts: Depending on the program, the funding arrives as AWS credits or as funding toward the partner's work.

Expect the partner to ask for your AWS account ID, a short description of the workload, and an estimate of monthly AWS usage. Give a realistic estimate. The partner has to stand behind it.

IXWhat should you ask a partner before it files?

Five questions. A good partner answers all of them without being pushed.

• Which program will you file under? MAP, POC or IW, and why that one.
• What does the funding cover? Your AWS usage, the partner's work, or both.
• What will I pay you, if anything? And what happens to that if AWS says no.
• Can you file it? AWS's MAP page names AWS Migration Competency Partners. Ask which AWS programs and competencies the partner holds.
• Who does the work? Names and roles on the partner's team, not a logo.

XWhen can you do this without CloudRoute?

Often. A referral is only worth it when it saves you time or gets you a better fit.

• You only want Activate: Apply yourself. Founders needs no one, and Portfolio needs your provider's Org ID. No partner and no referral adds anything.
• You already have a partner: Ask it the five questions above. If the answers are clear, you are set.
• You want AWS to point you to a partner: AWS's migration planner for startups builds a plan with credit eligibility, and it can connect you with a certified AWS Partner itself.
• You have no project yet: Partner funding pays for work. Apply for Founders and come back when the work is real.

Where CloudRoute helps: you have a real project, you are not sure which route fits, and you do not want to vet partners one by one. We pick one vetted AWS partner that fits the work, the stack and the region. We reply within 24 hours; your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days.