AWS migration funding: what exists, who files it, and how much.
The main way AWS funds a migration is the Migration Acceleration Program (MAP). MAP is filed by an AWS partner, not by you. When the migration qualifies and AWS approves, startups typically see $50K to $150K. Activate credits are separate: you apply for those yourself. This page maps each program, who files it, and the first step.
- MAP runs in three phases (Assess, Mobilize, Migrate and Modernize) and AWS says it helps offset initial migration costs. It is filed by an AWS partner through the AWS Partner Network. There is no self-serve MAP form, which is why teams migrating on their own rarely see it.
- For startups, partner-filed MAP funding is typically $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. It is built for migrations with meaningful ongoing AWS spend, so a small single-app move may not qualify.
- Activate is separate and founder-applied: Founders gives self-funded startups $1,000 to start, up to $5,000; Portfolio gives up to $200,000 with an Org ID from your Activate Provider. A consulting partner cannot file Activate. AWS's Optimization and Licensing Assessment (OLA) is a complimentary licensing review for Microsoft, VMware and Oracle estates.
IWhy AWS funds migrations, and why most teams never see it
A workload that lands on AWS generates years of usage. Against that, co-funding the move is cheap for AWS, so it built programs to do it. The catch is how they are filed.
AWS publishes that the Migration Acceleration Program exists and what it offers: tools, training, expertise from AWS Migration Competency Partners, and financial investments to offset initial migration costs. AWS's partner funding page describes funds that help partners explore proofs of concept and accelerate migration projects.
What AWS does not publish is a "claim your migration funding" form for customers. MAP is filed by a partner. So the teams most likely to migrate on their own (a strong engineering team leaving Heroku, a platform team moving VMware) are the ones with no path to file, and they pay the full cost of the move.
IIMAP, phase by phase
MAP is gated: you do not reach the production phase without a business case and a proven pilot. What it covers in each phase is agreed per engagement, and AWS approves it.
Assess
AWS describes this phase as identifying capability gaps across the six dimensions of the AWS Cloud Adoption Framework and building a realistic TCO model. In practice: inventory, dependencies, a 7 Rs decision per workload, and a business case. Migration Evaluator builds the cost case at no cost.
Mobilize
Close the gaps found in Assess and build the foundation: the landing zone (accounts, networking, guardrails, security baseline), plus a pilot migration that proves the runbook and rollback before production. See the AWS landing-zone guide for what a production-grade foundation contains.
Migrate and Modernize
Production cutover in waves, with selective modernisation (managed databases, containers on ECS or EKS). This is where most of the work lives.
Your matched partner files MAP when the migration qualifies and AWS approves. For startups it is typically $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. Very small workloads may not qualify; then the value of a partner is a de-risked cutover, not a credit. A good partner tells you which case you are in before you commit.
IIIThe other layers: OLA, partner funding, and Activate
MAP is the centre of gravity. Three other things often come up, and each has its own owner.
OLA: the Optimization and Licensing Assessment
AWS describes OLA as a complimentary assessment of your resource utilisation, third-party licensing and application dependencies, covering Microsoft, VMware and Oracle workloads. For Windows Server and SQL Server estates it models options such as bring-your-own-licence versus licence-included, or moving SQL Server to an open-source engine. It often shapes the business case for the migration that follows.
Partner funding
AWS also funds partners for proof-of-concept and migration work. You do not file these; they are part of how a partner can price an engagement. The same partner channel is how POC funding is filed for tests, and how incremental workload (IW) funding is filed for new work on AWS.
AWS Activate: separate, and founder-applied
Activate funds your general AWS usage, not the migration project. You apply yourself at aws.amazon.com/startups/credits. AWS Activate Founders: $1,000 to start, up to $5,000, for self-funded startups. AWS Activate Portfolio: up to $200,000, using the Org ID (or an invite) from your VC, accelerator or angel group if it is an Activate Provider. AWS Credits for AI Startups: $200,000 or more, by invitation, through your AWS account manager.
A consulting partner cannot file Activate for you. Activate and partner-filed MAP describe different spend (your run-rate vs the migration project), so a funded startup can have both, as long as nothing is counted twice.
IVHow much funding to expect
Only quote figures with a source. Here are the ones we can stand behind.
- Partner-filed MAP, POC or IW funding for startups: Typically $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. The driver is the workload and your projected ongoing AWS spend, not your headcount or funding stage.
- Enterprise migrations: Partner funding programs reach about $1M, but that tier is for enterprises such as banks, hospitals and municipalities, not startups.
- Activate Founders: $1,000 to start, up to $5,000. Founder-applied.
- Activate Portfolio: up to $200,000, with an Activate Provider Org ID. Founder-applied.
For bootstrapped startups the partner route is usually the larger one: Activate Founders gives up to $5,000, while partner-filed funding for a qualifying migration typically lands in the range above.
VThe partner-filed mechanic
MAP, POC and IW funding are filed by an AWS partner inside the AWS Partner Network. Teams that get funded are the ones that bring a partner in before the migration starts.
The partner registers the migration as an opportunity and files the funding request with what AWS needs to review it. Typically that covers:
- The source environment: platform, inventory, databases and dependencies
- The target AWS architecture and the services the workload will use
- The migration approach per workload (the 7 Rs) and the tooling
- Projected ongoing AWS usage
- The business case from the Assess phase
- The phase plan and what is requested at each stage
A team migrating alone has no way to submit this. The fix is not to "apply harder". It is to have a partner file it, before the work starts, because funding attaches to work going forward.
VIWho files what
Partner routes first, then Activate. Facts come from the CloudRoute facts file, checked against AWS pages.
| 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. |
| AWS Activate Founders | Founder applies | $1,000 to start, up to $5,000 | Self-funded startups with no investor or accelerator behind them. |
| AWS Activate Portfolio | Founder applies | up to $200,000 | Startups backed by a VC firm, accelerator or angel investor that is an AWS Activate Provider. |
| AWS Credits for AI Startups | Invite only (AWS account manager) | $200,000 or more, by invitation | AI startups ready to scale after Activate Portfolio, invited by AWS. |
VIIWhy teams migrating alone miss this funding
It is rarely a skills gap. It is structural.
- No customer-facing MAP form: MAP is partner-filed. Searching "how do I get AWS to fund my migration" finds program pages but no submission path for customers.
- No Assess phase, no business case: Teams that already decided to migrate skip assessment, so the document that justifies funding never exists.
- Funding attaches before the work: Funding covers work going forward. Once you have cut over, there is little left to fund.
- Licensing goes unmodelled: Without an OLA, Windows and SQL Server licensing simply carries over.
- The fix: Bring a vetted partner in before the migration starts. You keep your architecture and timeline; the partner checks eligibility and files.
VIIIWhat happens after you ask CloudRoute
Ask. Tell CloudRoute your source environment (Heroku, on-premises, GCP, Azure and so on), rough workload size and timeline. We reply within 24 hours; your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days.
Match. You are matched with one vetted AWS partner chosen for your source platform and database estate.
Check. On the first call the partner confirms whether MAP, POC or IW funding is likely to apply and outlines the Assess, Mobilize and Migrate plan. You decide whether to proceed.
Costs. Startups pay CloudRoute $0. Partners pay CloudRoute a monthly membership plus 10% of AWS-approved funding.
Partner-led migration vs DIY vs a consultancy that does not file
Three ways onto AWS. DIY has no invoice, but it also has no way to file partner funding.
| Variable | Partner-led (matched through CloudRoute) | DIY in-house | Consultancy that does not file |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who files MAP | Your vetted AWS partner | Nobody (no access) | Only if the firm is an AWS partner and files it |
| Assess-phase business case | Built by the partner | Often skipped | Billed to you |
| Licensing review (OLA) | Requested where it fits | Often unmodelled | Maybe |
| Cutover risk | Runbook and rollback owned with the partner | On you | Depends on the firm |
| Activate credits | You apply yourself | You apply yourself | You apply yourself |
| Cost of the match | Free for startups | n/a | n/a |
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 MAP funding
Your matched partner scopes the migration with you. Then it checks whether the move qualifies for MAP (Migration Acceleration Program) funding. MAP is for teams that are not on AWS yet.
- 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 really fund migrations?
Can I apply for MAP funding myself?
Is AWS Activate the same as migration funding?
Can I have both Activate credits and MAP funding?
What is OLA?
I already started migrating. Is it too late?
What does CloudRoute charge?
Find out which AWS funding applies to your migration
CloudRoute matches you with one vetted AWS partner who checks eligibility, files MAP funding when the migration qualifies and AWS approves, and runs the cutover. You apply for Activate yourself. CloudRoute is free for startups.