What Is AWS MDF?
MDF, Market Development Funds, is AWS's go-to-market co-investment program. Unlike MAP funding, which is tied to specific migration engagements, MDF is designed to fund marketing and demand generation activities that help partners build pipeline. Events, content, digital campaigns, webinars, prospecting programs: if it is designed to generate qualified AWS-related pipeline, it is potentially MDF-eligible.
AWS makes MDF available because it benefits both sides. When a partner runs a well-executed demand generation program, the resulting pipeline flows through ACE, generates AWS ARR, and deepens the co-sell relationship. AWS is essentially co-investing in your go-to-market because your success is their success.
The program is more accessible than most partners realize. You do not need to be an Advanced or Premier tier partner to apply: Select partners can and do receive MDF. What you need is a credible plan, a clean partner profile, and an understanding of how the approval process works.
MDF is not a reimbursement program. It is a co-investment. AWS is evaluating whether your proposed activity is likely to generate the kind of AWS pipeline that justifies their investment. Build your application around that framing.
MDF vs. MAP: Understanding the Difference
Partners frequently confuse MDF and MAP. They serve fundamentally different purposes and have completely separate application processes.
MAP (Migration Acceleration Program) funds the delivery of migration work for a specific named customer. It is project-specific, tied to an ACE opportunity, and designed to offset the cost of moving a customer's workload to AWS. We covered MAP in detail in our complete MAP funding guide.
MDF funds go-to-market activities: the marketing and demand generation work that creates pipeline in the first place. It is not tied to a specific customer. It is tied to a category of activity and a projected pipeline outcome.
They are not mutually exclusive. A partner might use MDF to fund the demand generation campaign that creates migration opportunities, then use MAP to fund the delivery of those migrations. If you are only capturing one and not the other, you are leaving money on the table from two different directions.
What MDF Funds
MDF can fund a wide range of go-to-market activities. The common thread is that each activity must have a clear line to AWS pipeline generation. "Brand awareness" is not sufficient. "A targeted account webinar that results in qualified ACE submissions" is.
Why MDF Applications Get Rejected
The approval rate for first-time MDF applicants is lower than it should be: not because the program is exclusionary, but because most applications fail on predictable, fixable mistakes. Here is what gets applications rejected.
No Clear Pipeline Connection
The most common rejection reason is an activity plan that does not clearly articulate how the proposed activity will generate AWS pipeline. "Increase brand awareness" is not a pipeline outcome. "Generate 15 qualified opportunities in our ACE pipeline from the target account list" is. Every MDF application needs to answer the question: how will this activity result in AWS ARR?
Weak or Thin Partner Profile
MDF reviewers look at your overall partner health before approving an application. If your ACE pipeline is thin, your tier is stagnant, and your funding history shows no previous activity, the application signals that you are not an active co-sell partner. MDF rewards partners who are already engaged, not partners who are trying to get started.
Vague Activity Description
Applications that describe activities in general terms, such as "a marketing campaign targeting enterprise buyers," do not give reviewers enough to approve. Strong applications are specific: target account list size, geographic focus, event format and agenda, expected attendee profile, conversion mechanism, and follow-up plan. The more specific, the more credible.
No PDM Alignment
This is the silent killer of MDF applications. AWS MDF approvals require internal sponsorship, and your PDM is the person who provides it. If your PDM does not know the application is coming, or worse does not know who you are, the application goes through cold with no advocate. Partners who brief their PDM before submitting have dramatically higher approval rates than those who do not.
Unrealistic Budget or ROI Claims
AWS reviewers have seen thousands of MDF applications. They know what a reasonable event budget looks like, what realistic lead projections are for a given activity type, and what a credible ROI claim is. Inflated budgets or unrealistic pipeline projections do not just get rejected: they damage your credibility for future applications.
We have seen well-funded partners with strong tier standing get MDF rejected simply because the application described a generic "digital marketing program" with no specifics. The same activity reframed around a specific target account list, a named AWS use case, and a defined lead capture mechanism got approved on resubmission. The activity did not change: the application did.
MDF Eligibility: What You Need
MDF eligibility requirements are not published as a precise checklist: they are evaluated holistically. But the factors that consistently appear in approvals are well understood.
| Factor | What Reviewers Look For |
|---|---|
| Partner Tier | Select or above required; Advanced and Premier partners receive higher funding consideration and less scrutiny on activity plans |
| ACE Pipeline Health | Active, current pipeline with regular submissions and stage progression: thin or stale pipeline signals an inactive co-sell partner |
| Previous MDF Activity | Partners with a track record of approved MDF and documented proof of execution have higher approval rates; first-time applicants face more scrutiny |
| PDM Relationship | Your PDM needs to sponsor the application internally: without their awareness and support, approval is unlikely regardless of application quality |
| Activity Eligibility | The proposed activity must be a recognized MDF-eligible category with a clear line to AWS pipeline generation |
| Budget Reasonableness | Requested amount must align with realistic activity costs: inflated budgets are a common red flag |
| AWS Brand Compliance | Any activity involving AWS branding, logos, or co-marketing must adhere to AWS brand guidelines: non-compliant plans are rejected |
How to Build an MDF Application That Gets Approved
The difference between a rejected MDF application and an approved one usually comes down to preparation and specificity. Here is the approach that works.
Choose the Right Activity
Start by selecting an activity that has strong MDF approval history and a natural connection to AWS pipeline. AWS Immersion Days, targeted executive events, and account-based prospecting programs consistently perform well. Generic awareness campaigns consistently do not. Match your activity to a specific business outcome: a named set of target accounts, a defined geographic market, or a specific AWS use case you are trying to generate pipeline around.
Brief Your PDM First
Before you open Partner Central, call or email your PDM. Describe the activity you are planning, the target audience, and the expected pipeline outcome. Ask directly: "Does this fit the MDF criteria? Will you sponsor this application?" This conversation does three things: it gets your PDM bought in before the paperwork starts, it surfaces any eligibility issues early, and it gives your PDM the context to advocate for the application internally. Do not skip this step.
Clean Up Your ACE Pipeline
Before submitting an MDF application, audit your ACE pipeline. Close out stale opportunities, update stage and close dates on active ones, and make sure you have at least a handful of recent, well-documented submissions. MDF reviewers look at your pipeline as part of the evaluation. A clean, active pipeline signals a serious co-sell partner. A neglected one signals the opposite.
Write a Specific Activity Plan
The activity plan is the core of your MDF application. Do not be vague. Include: the specific activity format (for example, "half-day executive breakfast for 20 VP-level decision-makers at target accounts in the healthcare vertical"), the target audience and how they will be identified, the AWS use case the activity is focused on, the content or agenda, the lead capture mechanism, the follow-up plan, and the specific pipeline outcome you are committing to (number of ACE submissions, target ARR). More detail is almost always better.
Build a Realistic Budget
Line-item your budget. Venue, catering, production, promotion, follow-up: break it down specifically. Request only what you need, not a round number that looks padded. If you are requesting $15,000, show exactly where $15,000 goes. Reviewers who see a realistic, itemized budget read it as a partner who has planned the activity. Reviewers who see "$15,000 for event expenses" read it as someone who picked a number.
Submit Through Partner Central and Follow Up
Submit the application through the MDF section of AWS Partner Central. After submission, send your PDM a brief note confirming it is in and asking them to look for it. Follow up in 5 to 7 business days if you have not heard. If rejected, ask your PDM for the specific feedback and resubmit with the gaps addressed. Most rejected applications can be approved on resubmission with the right changes.
Proof of Execution: The Step Most Partners Fumble
MDF funding is contingent on proof that you ran the activity. AWS requires documentation after the fact, and partners who do not collect it during the activity often lose funding they have already been approved for.
What proof of execution typically looks like:
- Event photos showing the activity took place
- Attendee list with names and companies
- Copies of any materials used (presentations, handouts, content)
- Receipts or invoices for the expenses covered by MDF
- Lead or pipeline outcomes: the ACE submissions that resulted from the activity
- Post-activity summary documenting results against the projected outcomes in the application
Assign someone to collect this documentation during the activity, not after. Trying to reconstruct proof of execution two weeks after an event is painful and often incomplete. Treat the documentation requirements like part of the event logistics.
Failing to submit proof of execution on time does not just cost you the current MDF reimbursement: it damages your credibility for future applications. AWS tracks compliance history. Partners who consistently deliver clean proof of execution build a track record that makes future approvals easier.
Building a Repeatable MDF Cadence
One-off MDF applications are fine. A repeatable MDF program is better. The partners who capture the most MDF over time have built a rhythm.
Plan Quarterly, Apply Early
MDF funds can be limited and are often depleted later in the fiscal year. Plan your go-to-market calendar quarterly and submit MDF applications at least 6 to 8 weeks before the activity start date. Early applications have more funding available and more runway for back-and-forth if revisions are needed.
Track MDF Like Pipeline
Maintain a simple tracker: activity, application date, requested amount, status, approved amount, proof of execution due date, and actual outcome. Review it monthly. This gives you visibility into what is in flight, what is at risk, and what your total MDF capture rate looks like over time.
Build on What Works
Once you have had an activity approved and executed well, use it as a template. The activity format, budget structure, and outcome metrics from an approved application give you a proven model to reuse. The second application of the same activity type is almost always easier than the first.
Connect MDF to Your ACE Pipeline Goals
The best MDF programs are designed backward from your ACE pipeline goals. If you need 20 new qualified opportunities in ACE this quarter, design an MDF activity that is likely to generate them. This alignment makes your applications more credible and your results easier to document, because the outcome you are measuring for MDF is the same outcome you are managing for ACE.
How MDF Connects to Tier Advancement
MDF and tier advancement are more connected than most partners realize. Active MDF utilization is a signal of go-to-market maturity, and go-to-market maturity is exactly what AWS is evaluating when it considers partner tier.
Partners who are actively running MDF-funded programs have:
- A warm PDM relationship (required to get MDF approved)
- Active, growing ACE pipeline (generated by MDF activities)
- Documented go-to-market execution (proven by proof of execution)
- A track record of co-investing with AWS (which is what Advanced and Premier tier partners do)
If you are working toward Advanced tier, an active MDF program is one of the strongest signals you can send that you are a serious co-sell partner: not just a partner who has completed the required certifications.
The Bottom Line
MDF is genuinely accessible money for go-to-market work you are probably already planning to do. The barrier is not eligibility: it is application quality and PDM relationship. Fix those two things and the approval rate goes up significantly.
The partners who capture MDF consistently are not doing anything exotic. They are planning activities with a clear pipeline connection, briefing their PDM before they apply, writing specific activity plans, documenting results carefully, and building the habit over time.
We manage MDF applications as part of our managed services: identifying eligible activities, building the applications, coordinating with your PDM, and managing proof of execution. If you want to understand what is available for your current go-to-market plan, reach out and we will walk through it with you.