AWS MDF Guide: Cash, Credits, Agency Connect and Claims

AWS Marketing Development Funds (MDF) offset partner marketing costs for demand generation, paid as cash or AWS Promotional Credits and requested in AWS Partner Central. Agency sources describe MDF cash as reimbursement of up to 50% of eligible costs after the activity. Agency Connect is AWS's catalog of preferred agencies with MDF-eligible services, and it is one route to spend, not a requirement AWS states publicly.

Checked September 2026. AWS updates partner funding every year, so confirm amounts, eligibility and deadlines in AWS Partner Central and with your partner development manager before you commit spend.

This guide is for AWS consulting and services partners who want MDF to pay for pipeline, not just logos on a banner. For the cross-vendor view, see our partner MDF guide.

What AWS MDF is

AWS's partner funding page positions MDF as money to offset marketing costs, drive demand generation and build sales pipeline for your offerings on AWS. It lists MDF next to non-marketing programs such as the Migration Acceleration Program and Innovation Sandbox credits, so keep those separate in your planning.

The same page says requests go through the Funding tab in AWS Partner Central, and that MDF requests need an AWS Payee Central account. Set that account up before you need it.

Invisory also says MDF is restricted to AWS-approved marketing activities, not product development or staffing. That rule alone kills a lot of first drafts.

What AWS added for 2026

The APN blog of December 1, 2025 announced several new MDF amounts. Read them as ceilings for qualifying partners, not money already in your account.

The blog does not publish qualification rules for these amounts. Ask your partner development manager which category you sit in and what evidence places you there.

Who is eligible

• APN membership and Partner Paths. AWS's partner marketing page says partners join the AWS Partner Network, enroll in Partner Paths, and get Marketing Central access after meeting minimum validation criteria.
• Path and plan. Invisory says you must be in ISV Accelerate or a Services Path, show your solution is powered by AWS, and submit a clear, measurable go-to-market plan. Invisory writes for ISVs, so services partners should confirm the equivalent.
• Agency Connect access. The 2023 Agency Connect at-a-glance says the program is open to all AWS Partners (Confirmed +), including Public Sector Partners and Marketplace Sellers. An older version named Select tier consulting partners and above plus partners with a program designation. Both are AWS documents; confirm which applies today.
• Payee Central. Required for MDF requests, per the funding page.

How to request AWS MDF, step by step

1. Clean up Partner Central. Path enrollment, validation status, Payee Central account, correct admin users.
2. Talk to your partner manager. AWS's Marketing Concierge connects partners with a virtual Partner Marketing Manager (vPMM) for marketing support if you lack a dedicated one.
3. Write the plan. Invisory lists five parts: company vision, go-to-market strategy, AWS service usage, projected impact (customer acquisition, revenue, AWS consumption) and a budget with activities, goals and costs.
4. Submit early. Invisory says requests go in through the funding tool at least two weeks before the activity starts.
5. Wait for approval before signing vendor contracts or buying media.
6. Execute and collect proof as each activity runs.
7. Claim. Invisory says claims are due within 30 days of completing the activity, with valid third-party receipts.

Agency Connect vs a non-listed agency

Agency Connect is a set of AWS-preferred agencies serving partners who need help with partner-led co-marketing, especially those with limited or no marketing resources. Agencies commit to AWS brand and messaging guidelines and explicit SLA standards, and listed services are discounted for AWS Partners.

AWS's documented flow has five steps:

1. Your PMM or vPMM helps build a marketing plan, including demand generation that may need agency support.
2. If it does, they check your MDF eligibility and direct you to Agency Connect in Marketing Central.
3. You log in, pick a campaign geography, filter the catalog, and submit a quote request. You must request MDF yourself.
4. The agency contacts you, you build and run the campaign together, and the agency invoices you directly.
5. You submit the claim to AWS for eligible services.

Either way, the partner owns the MDF request and the claim. No agency can submit it for you.

Activities that typically qualify

Agency Connect groups MDF-eligible services into awareness creation, lead acquisition and lead nurture. It names content development, paid media, social media, webinars, online events such as roundtables and virtual conferences, email, content lead syndication, telemarketing, list purchase and enhancement, video production and demo creation.

Invisory adds display advertising, conferences, case studies, sales content and customer events. It lists these as ineligible: headcount, travel, alcohol, giveaways, AWS-sponsored events, cancellation fees and charitable initiatives. Confirm both lists for your request.

Claim timeline

AWS does not publish a public MDF calendar. These dates come from Invisory's July 2025 article and may shift year to year.

Proof of performance checklist

• Approved request ID and the approved scope, saved as PDF.
• Third-party invoice matching approved line items, plus proof of payment.
• Final creative showing AWS messaging that follows brand guidelines.
• Webinars: registration and attendance exports, recording link, agenda.
• Paid media: platform screenshots with dates, impressions and click reports.
• Syndication: lead file summary with delivery dates, without exposing personal data beyond what is requested.
• Telemarketing: script, call counts, connects and meetings booked.
• Outcome sheet: meetings, opportunities, pipeline value and AWS services involved.

MDF proposal template

ACTIVITY TITLE: [AWS service] [offer] for [segment], [quarter]
PARTNER: [name]   PATH: [Services / ISV Accelerate]   STAGE: [ ]
PDM or vPMM: [name]   FUND: [MDF cash / credits / category, e.g. Amazon Connect]

1. Vision (2-3 lines)
   How our practice helps customers adopt [AWS services]

2. Go-to-market
   Audience: [industry, size, region, roles]
   Named accounts: [count], list attached
   Channels: [webinar, syndication, telemarketing, paid social]
   Sales motion: [co-sell with AWS account teams? Marketplace?]

3. AWS service usage
   Services in scope: [Amazon Connect, Amazon Bedrock, etc.]

4. Projected impact
   Leads [ ]  Meetings [ ]  Opportunities [ ]  Pipeline [ ]
   Expected AWS consumption influence: [ ]

5. Budget
   Line items (third-party only): [ ] [ ] [ ]
   Total cost [ ]   MDF requested [ ] (share per PDM confirmation)
   Agency: [Agency Connect listing / non-listed, PDM confirmed on date]

6. Timeline
   Request [date]  Start [date, 2+ weeks later]  End [ ]  Claim by [ ]

7. Proof plan
   Evidence per line item, owner, folder

Worked example

Illustrative example: a hypothetical validated AWS services partner with an Amazon Connect practice. No figure here is an AWS allocation.

1. Qualify. The partner asks its PDM whether it qualifies for the Amazon Connect MDF AWS announced for 2026, and in which form.
2. Target. 150 contact-center-heavy accounts in insurance and healthcare payers, built from a partner account list.
3. Plan. A virtual roundtable, email nurture, paid social on named accounts and telemarketing follow-up to book assessments.
4. Budget. Suppose third-party costs are $60,000. If a 50% share is confirmed, the request is $30,000, which stays inside the announced ceiling. Never assume you get the ceiling.
5. Agency route. The partner compares an Agency Connect quote with its preferred non-listed agency, and gets PDM confirmation in writing before choosing the latter.
6. Timing. Request three weeks before launch, avoid the year-end blackout, claim each line within 30 days.

Success is booked assessments and pipeline tied to Amazon Connect, which is also the evidence that earns next year's request.

Common rejection reasons

• Weak AWS story. Invisory says AWS evaluates proposals for alignment with its own objectives.
• No measurable outcome. Reach without meetings, pipeline or consumption influence.
• Ineligible costs: headcount, travel, alcohol, giveaways, cancellation fees.
• Late request or activity inside the blackout window.
• Spend before approval.
• Receipts missing or not matching approved line items.
• Brand problems in creative that does not follow AWS guidelines.

Where an agency fits

An agency should turn your plan into claim-ready work: activity-level invoices, brand-compliant creative, proof packs and pipeline reporting. We do not present Lemniscate as an Agency Connect agency. If you work with us or any agency outside the catalog, use the non-listed path above and confirm with your PDM first.

For campaign angles, see our AWS partners page. Roundtables and webinars are covered on our events and webinars service, and partner ecosystem AI visibility explains how Marketplace and directory listings show up in AI answers.

What to do this week

1. Confirm Path, validation status and Payee Central in AWS Partner Central.
2. Ask your PDM which 2026 category applies to you and whether cash or credits fit.
3. Draft one activity with the template and a named account list.
4. Browse Agency Connect in Marketing Central for your geography, even if you plan to use another agency.
5. Put the request date, blackout window and claim deadline in your calendar.

Confidence notes

Running more than one ecosystem? Compare the Microsoft MDF guide, Snowflake and Databricks partner funds, ServiceNow MDF, the Salesforce Partner Fund guide and SAP development funds.