Amazon Grants 2026: What's Open and Who Can Apply

Updated Nov 9, 20264 official sources

Quick Answer: No Amazon cash grant is open to most nonprofits on November 9, 2026, and none exists for small business owners.

Full answer and how we checked it

The AWS Imagine Grant, worth up to $200,000 plus cloud credit, closed its 2026 round, and AWS hasn't posted the next one. What you can request now: up to $5,000 a year in AWS cloud credit (most U.S. 501(c) nonprofits), Amazon's free home delivery for food banks, and product donations from a local Whole Foods Market. Small businesses won't find a current Amazon cash grant; the Black Business Accelerator page now redirects, and AmazonSmile ended in 2023.

Who this is for: If you're a nonprofit, school, food bank, housing developer or small business owner searching for Amazon grants, this guide sorts the programs that take requests today from the ones that ended or run by invitation. It covers organizations and small businesses, not personal help for individuals. Grantsights isn't affiliated with Amazon, AWS or Whole Foods Market.

Data note: Amazon's current programs aren't run through a grantmaking private foundation, so there's no 990-PF grant list to analyze. Program rules, amounts and dates come from Amazon's, AWS's and Whole Foods Market's own pages, checked November 9, 2026. Recipient figures come from AWS's published list of 2025-2026 Imagine Grant recipients (27 U.S. organizations). The only Amazon filer in Grantsights' November 5, 2026 snapshot of 990-PF grant records is the AmazonSmile Foundation (EIN 46-2626883): 356,118 rows totaling $145,024,168 under tax year 2023. Grantsights excluded all of them. They were shopper-directed AmazonSmile donations, which no organization applied for, and the total doesn't match the foundation's own 2023 return, which reports $38,765,888 in contributions paid. No employee matching gifts were involved (0 rows, $0).

Last updated: 2026-11-09.

In this guide

Amazon grants open now: 11 routes checked November 9, 2026
AWS Imagine Grant: Amazon's largest open-call cash grant
Who actually gets AWS Imagine Grants
Amazon grants for small businesses: what's real in 2026
How to apply for Amazon's open routes, step by step
What Amazon's Grant Pages Don't Tell You
Amazon grants for schools, food banks and housing groups: better routes
How Grantsights Checked This Guide
Related Guides
Sources

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Amazon grants open now: 11 routes checked November 9, 2026

Grantsights checked 11 Amazon routes on November 9, 2026. Four take requests today, but only one of those, the housing fund, can pay cash, and it's limited to housing developers in 3 regions. The table shows each route and its status on that date.

Amazon route	What it pays for	Who can apply	Amount Amazon publishes	Status (November 9, 2026)	Source page
AWS Imagine Grant (U.S.)	Cloud and AI technology projects	U.S. 501(c) nonprofits; schools and universities excluded	Up to $200,000 cash plus up to $100,000 in AWS credit	Closed. 2026 Round One ran March 19 to June 5; results mid-November; next cycle not announced	Imagine Grant page (opens in a new tab)
AWS Nonprofit Credit Program	AWS cloud services	501(c)(1), (3), (8), (9), (11), (12), (14) and (15) groups and public libraries	Up to $5,000 in AWS credit a year	Open. One request per July 1 to June 30 year, through TechSoup	Credit Program page (opens in a new tab)
Amazon Housing Fund	New and preserved affordable rental housing	Experienced affordable housing developers in Puget Sound, the National Capital region and Nashville	Grants or below-market loans; $3.6 billion total commitment	Accepting applications through a developer portal; no deadline published	Housing fund explainer (opens in a new tab)
Home food delivery for food banks	Free delivery of food bank boxes to families	Food banks and pantries in the U.S. and U.K.	In-kind delivery, no cash	Open. Interest survey after reading the program overview	Help for hunger page (opens in a new tab)
Whole Foods Market in-kind donations	Products from a local store	501(c)(3) nonprofits near a store	Products only; no gift cards or money	Open year-round through your local store	In-kind donations page (opens in a new tab)
Data center community funds	Local projects near AWS data centers	Community groups, schools and nonprofits in specific counties	Microgrants up to $10,000 in past rounds	No open round listed on AWS's community page	AWS community engagement (opens in a new tab)
AWS Activate	AWS credits for startups	Pre-Series B startups founded in the last 10 years	Up to $200,000 in AWS credit	Open (credit, not cash)	Activate credits page (opens in a new tab)
Amazon Future Engineer	Free career tours; student scholarships	Teachers (tours); individual high school seniors (scholarships)	Scholarships up to $40,000 per student	No school grants listed; old grants page returns a 404	Amazon Future Engineer (opens in a new tab)
Black Business Accelerator	Credits, services and grants for Black-owned sellers	Black-owned businesses selling on Amazon	$150 million over 4 years, announced June 2021	Appears ended. Program and terms pages redirect to the general programs page	Seller programs page (opens in a new tab)
AmazonSmile	Shopper-directed donations to charities	Charities chosen by shoppers (no application)	Not applicable	Ended February 20, 2023	Amazon's closing announcement (opens in a new tab)
Local corporate giving	Cash gifts in Amazon's hometowns	No public application found	Not published	No request route published	Community page (opens in a new tab)

Recently closed: the 2026 AWS Imagine Grant (Round One closed June 5, 2026; Round Two, by invitation, closed September 14, 2026).

Ended: AmazonSmile (2023) and, as far as Amazon's own pages show, the Black Business Accelerator.

Our reading: for a typical nonprofit, the realistic Amazon targets are a $5,000 AWS credit now and a well-prepared Imagine Grant application if AWS opens a 2027 round. Schools and small businesses should look elsewhere for cash.

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AWS Imagine Grant: Amazon's largest open-call cash grant

The Imagine Grant is the closest thing Amazon has to a classic foundation grant. According to the AWS Imagine Grant program page, U.S. applicants choose 1 of 3 award categories:

Award	Cash (unrestricted)	AWS credit	Built for
Pathfinder	Up to $200,000	Up to $100,000	Projects with generative, agentic or autonomous AI as a core workload, from groups with a strong data practice
Go Further, Faster	Up to $150,000	Up to $100,000	Advanced cloud projects such as AI, machine learning, high performance computing or Internet of Things work
Momentum to Modernize	Up to $50,000	Up to $20,000	Foundational projects: moving servers to the cloud, new or rebuilt applications, database work

Every category also includes training, technical guidance from AWS staff and a chance at AWS marketing promotion. AWS says it sets actual award amounts at its sole discretion.

Eligibility. The page says nonprofits with registered 501(c) status in the U.S. can apply, including 501(c)(3) charities, credit unions and public utility organizations, with budgets of any size and in any cause area. Educational institutions, from primary schools to universities, are excluded. U.S.-registered groups serving people abroad can apply. You don't have to use AWS already, though AWS says the grant suits groups that plan to build on AWS. The IRS page on 501(c)(3) exemption requirements (opens in a new tab) explains what that status requires.

The 2026 timeline, as posted. AWS accepts proposals once a year. The page lists Round One guidelines and portal opening on March 19, Round One closing June 5, invitation-only Round Two from August 10 to September 14, results by email in mid-November, and a public winners announcement on December 1. A red flag for planners: another answer on the same page still says the "next application cycle will open in March 2026," so the page hasn't been updated for 2027. Don't assume a March 2027 opening until AWS posts it.

How AWS judges. The listed criteria include the project's originality, impact on mission-critical goals, clearly defined outcomes and milestones, how specifically AWS services are used, the sustainability plan, and a complete proposal submitted on time. Each organization can submit 1 application per cycle. Past winners are asked to wait a year or a cycle unless the new project is clearly different.

Outside the U.S., the page lists separate Imagine Grant programs for the U.K., Australia and New Zealand, and Canada. A Children's Health Innovation Award exists too, but AWS says it's by invitation only in 2026.

Who actually gets AWS Imagine Grants

AWS's published list of U.S. 2025-2026 recipients names 27 organizations: 14 Go Further, Faster awards, 8 Momentum to Modernize awards and 5 Pathfinder awards. AWS doesn't publish each award's dollar amount.

Grantsights analysis of that list puts a ceiling on the cash: if every one of the 27 had received its category's maximum, the total would be $3.5 million ($2.1 million for Go Further, Faster, $1.0 million for Pathfinder and $400,000 for Momentum to Modernize). That's a small, competitive pool spread across the whole country.

Most recipients are large, national organizations. The Pathfinder winners were the American National Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, the Jane Goodall Institute, the Institute for Systems Biology and Project Lead the Way. Go Further, Faster winners included the Alzheimer's Association, the American Association for Cancer Research, Scripps Research, Boys Town, FINCA International and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Momentum to Modernize winners included Smile Train, the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Local groups do win. For example, Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency received a Go Further, Faster award for a project serving people in crisis across Wayne County, Michigan, including Detroit. One nonprofit in Boston, Victory Programs, received a Momentum to Modernize award for a secure cloud platform. Central Missouri Community Action and Better Angels United, which works on homelessness services in Los Angeles County, also received Momentum to Modernize awards.

The pattern matters for your odds. Every recipient described a specific data or technology project, not general operating needs. Underestimate the technical detail AWS expects and the application won't make Round Two.

Amazon grants for small businesses: what's real in 2026

Grantsights found no current Amazon cash grant for small businesses on November 9, 2026. Here's what exists and what doesn't.

The Black Business Accelerator appears to have ended. Amazon's June 15, 2021 announcement of the program on its About Amazon news site described a $150 million commitment over the next 4 years, with Amazon credits and services valued at $3,900 and an initial round of $10,000 cash grants run with Hello Alice. That 4-year window has passed. On November 9, 2026, both the program page and its terms page on sell.amazon.com redirected to Amazon's general seller programs page, which lists more than 20 programs but not the accelerator.

New seller incentives aren't grants. Amazon's seller programs page (opens in a new tab) advertises over $50,000 in new seller credits, bonuses and benefits, including 10% back on a new brand's first $50,000 in sales. You earn these by selling, and a Professional selling account carries a monthly fee plus selling fees. Treat them as discounts, not funding.

AWS Activate is credit for startups. According to the AWS Activate credits page (opens in a new tab), eligible startups can apply for up to $200,000 in AWS credit. Eligibility is pre-Series B, founded in the last 10 years, with an AWS account on a paid plan. Self-funded founders start at $1,000 in credit, and some qualify for up to $5,000. It only helps if your business runs on AWS.

Amazon Lending is financing. The seller programs page describes it as financing from third-party providers. A loan has to be repaid; it isn't a grant.

If you came here for a small business grant, the honest answer is that the money is elsewhere. The SBA's own grants page (opens in a new tab) says the "SBA does not provide grants for starting and expanding a business," and points to research grants such as SBIR for companies doing scientific R&D. Free counseling is available through the SBA's resource partners (opens in a new tab), including Small Business Development Centers, SCORE mentors, Women's Business Centers and Veterans Business Outreach Centers. For real grant programs, see the best grants for small businesses in 2026, the small business grants complete guide and federal grants for small businesses. Black founders should read the best grants for Black-owned businesses and grants for minority-owned businesses. Tech startups can compare grants for technology startups.

How to apply for Amazon's open routes, step by step

Four Amazon routes accept requests without an invitation on November 9, 2026. Here's how each works, from the program's own page.

1. AWS Nonprofit Credit Program (up to $5,000 a year)

Check your status. According to the credit program page, it's open to 501(c)(1), 501(c)(3), 501(c)(8), 501(c)(9), 501(c)(11), 501(c)(12), 501(c)(14) and 501(c)(15) organizations, plus public libraries with valid 501(c)(3) status or listed in the Institute of Museum and Library Services database. Budgets of any size qualify. K-12 schools, colleges, universities and trade schools aren't eligible; AWS points them to its AWS Educate program.
Request through TechSoup. AWS says it distributes the credit through TechSoup and its partner NGOs. U.S. organizations use the request link on the AWS page.
Time it. You can request 1 grant of credit per fiscal year, which AWS defines as July 1 to June 30.
Redeem it. TechSoup emails a promo code. Add it in the Credits section of your AWS Billing Dashboard. Credit lasts at least 1 year or until used up.
Watch the exclusions. The credit covers on-demand, pay-as-you-go services. It doesn't cover Reserved Instances, AWS Marketplace, domain registration through Route 53, some support plans or upfront fees. Once it runs out or expires, AWS bills you normally.

2. Amazon Housing Fund (developers only)

Amazon's housing fund explainer (opens in a new tab), published August 2024 and updated December 2024, says developers in its 3 hometown regions apply for grants or below-market loans, and loan repayments go back into the fund. The fund serves households earning 30% to 80% of area median income, and most homes it funds must stay affordable for a century. The explainer sends experienced multifamily developers to an application page (opens in a new tab) that opens as a login portal. According to the Amazon Housing Fund 2024 Impact Report, the fund has supported more than 8,600 homes in the Puget Sound region, 9,400 in the National Capital region and 3,000 in the Nashville region. Amazon also runs a free, 18-month Housing Accelerator Fellowship for emerging developers; the explainer says it graduated 38 developers in the fund's first 3 years.

3. Free home delivery for food banks

According to Amazon's help for hunger page (opens in a new tab), Amazon provides delivery and technology at no cost, while the food bank picks recipients, sources and packs food, and schedules deliveries. Food banks and pantries in the U.S. and U.K. can apply: read the program information page, then submit the interest survey, and Amazon's team follows up. The same page says Amazon donated more than 90 million meals from its grocery stores across the U.S. in 2025.

4. Whole Foods Market product donations

Amazon's help for hunger page lists Whole Foods Market's programs among its hunger efforts, but Whole Foods runs its own giving. Its in-kind donations page (opens in a new tab) says store leaders support 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the communities around their stores, year-round. Ask your local store directly. The page rules out gift cards, alcohol and money, and won't donate to individuals, political groups or for-profit businesses. Groups that haven't received another Whole Foods sponsorship or donation that calendar year get priority. Separately, the community giving page (opens in a new tab) says store team members vote on cash awards twice a year, and Austin, Texas groups can apply to an extra Austin program.

What Amazon's Grant Pages Don't Tell You

Grantsights compared Amazon's community pages with its program pages, the Imagine Grant recipient list and the AmazonSmile Foundation's filings. These 6 points don't appear on any single Amazon page.

Big totals, few doors. Amazon's AmazonSmile closing note said the company donates "hundreds of millions of dollars" each year to local organizations, and its HQ2 page reports more than $239 million in donations and cash grants to local nonprofits, schools and charitable groups in the HQ2 region. An Amazon post from February 2025 (opens in a new tab) says Amazon gave $68 million to 120 Washington state community partners the year before. But none of the pages Grantsights checked explains how a nonprofit asks for that money. Our reading: most hometown giving goes to partners Amazon picks.

Most "grants" are credit, services or delivery. The Nonprofit Credit Program, Activate, food bank delivery and Whole Foods donations are all in-kind. Only the Imagine Grant and the housing fund pay cash, and the housing fund mostly makes loans. A common mistake is budgeting AWS credit as if it could pay salaries.

The Imagine Grant favors established data teams. Five of the 27 U.S. winners took the top Pathfinder category, which AWS says is built for organizations with a strong data practice already planning their project. National groups with technology staff dominate the list.

Schools are shut out of the cloud programs. Both the Imagine Grant and the credit program exclude schools and universities. Amazon Future Engineer now centers on free virtual tours and student scholarships, and its grants address returned a 404 on November 9, 2026. Older blog posts still list Amazon classroom grants, so teachers who rely on them can underestimate how much has changed.

Data center funds are hyperlocal and quiet. AWS's community engagement page says its Community Fund in Morrow and Umatilla counties, Oregon, run with ChangeX, recognized 53 projects in its latest round and more than 200 over 5 years. A 2022 Amazon article described InCommunities microgrants of up to $10,000. But the page lists no open round, and the ChangeX site blocked automated checks, so Grantsights couldn't confirm any current application window. If you're in a county with an AWS data center, watch local news and ChangeX.

AmazonSmile money isn't coming back. The AmazonSmile Foundation's returns show $94,992,478 in contributions paid in 2022 and $38,765,888 in 2023, its final year, which ended with assets of $1 and a dissolution statement. Charities that relied on it need a new plan, not a reapplication.

Amazon grants for schools, food banks and housing groups: better routes

More than 1,000 Grantsights guides cover funders with real application windows. These are the closest fits for people who searched for Amazon grants.

Schools and STEM programs: see grants for STEM education programs, grants for school technology and grants for teachers and schools. Grantsights' education funder lists group foundations by state using the grants they reported on their 990-PF returns, and you can preview your own state free.

Nonprofit technology: grants for nonprofit technology covers cash funders for software, data and IT projects, which pairs well with an AWS credit. Grants for capacity building covers funders that pay for systems and staff.

Food banks: grants for food banks and the best grants for food banks in 2026 list cash funders to pair with Amazon's delivery help.

Affordable housing: grants for affordable housing, the best grants for affordable housing nonprofits and grants for community development corporations cover funders outside Amazon's 3 regions. Groups in Amazon's hometowns can also check Washington nonprofit grants and Virginia nonprofit grants.

Other retailers: corporate grants for nonprofits covers company giving more broadly, and Grantsights' guides to Walmart grants and Target grants explain two store-based programs that do take local requests. For current deadlines across thousands of programs, try Grantsights grant search.

How Grantsights Checked This Guide

Grantsights checked more than 30 Amazon, AWS, Whole Foods and government pages on November 9, 2026, and compared Amazon's program claims against the AmazonSmile Foundation's 990-PF filings listed on ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer (EIN 46-2626883). The IRS private foundation annual return page (opens in a new tab) explains the 990-PF filing those numbers come from. No status, amount or date comes from a news story or third-party blog.

Source checked	What it shows	What to do with it
AWS Imagine Grant page and recipient list	Up to $200,000 cash; 2026 cycle closed; 27 U.S. 2025-2026 recipients	Watch for a 2027 round; plan a specific technology project
AWS Nonprofit Credit Program page	Up to $5,000 credit a year via TechSoup; schools excluded	Request now if you use AWS
Housing fund explainer and impact report	$3.6 billion commitment; grants or loans to developers in 3 regions	Developers only
Help for hunger page	Free delivery for U.S. and U.K. food banks; interest survey	Food banks: apply now
Whole Foods in-kind and community giving pages	Product donations year-round via local stores	Ask your nearest store
AWS community engagement page	Oregon Community Fund: 53 projects in the latest round	Data center counties: watch for rounds
Amazon Future Engineer site	Tours and student scholarships; grants page 404	Schools: use other funders
Seller programs, BBA announcement and Activate pages	No current small business grant; accelerator redirects	Small businesses: use SBA partners
AmazonSmile announcement and 990-PF filings	Ended February 20, 2023; $38,765,888 paid in 2023	Don't plan on it

These 5 pages cover the main alternatives:

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Amazon give grants to nonprofits?

Yes, but only through a few routes, and the main cash grant isn't open now. As checked November 9, 2026, the AWS Imagine Grant page says the 2026 U.S. application cycle is closed, with results due by email in mid-November and winners announced December 1. The AWS Nonprofit Credit Program, which gives up to $5,000 in AWS cloud credit a year through TechSoup, takes requests now. None of the Amazon pages Grantsights checked describes a way to request a local cash donation.

How much is the AWS Imagine Grant?

For U.S. 501(c) nonprofits, the Pathfinder award offers up to $200,000 in unrestricted funding plus up to $100,000 in AWS credit, Go Further, Faster offers up to $150,000 plus up to $100,000 in credit, and Momentum to Modernize offers up to $50,000 plus up to $20,000 in credit. AWS says it decides actual amounts at its own discretion. AWS lists 27 U.S. recipients for 2025-2026.

Does Amazon have small business grants?

Not on any current Amazon page Grantsights found on November 9, 2026. The Black Business Accelerator, announced in June 2021 as a $150 million, four-year commitment that included $10,000 cash grants, now redirects to Amazon's general seller programs page and isn't listed there. Amazon offers new sellers credits and bonuses, and AWS Activate gives eligible startups up to $200,000 in AWS credits, but neither is a cash grant.

Can schools get Amazon grants?

Not directly through the routes Grantsights checked. The AWS Imagine Grant and the AWS Nonprofit Credit Program both exclude educational institutions. Amazon Future Engineer's current site offers free virtual career tours and scholarships for individual students, but no school grant page; its old grants address returned a page-not-found error on November 9, 2026.

Is AmazonSmile coming back?

No sign of it. Amazon announced it would wind down AmazonSmile by February 20, 2023, and smile.amazon.com now redirects to Amazon's home page. The AmazonSmile Foundation's last 990-PF, for 2023, reported $38,765,888 in contributions paid and ended the year with assets of $1. Amazon pointed charities to their own wish lists instead.

How do I apply for Amazon's housing fund?

Only experienced affordable housing developers in Washington's Puget Sound region, the Arlington, Virginia and National Capital region, and Nashville, Tennessee can apply. Amazon's housing fund explainer says developers apply for grants or below-market loans through its application page, which is a partner login portal. Individuals and families can't apply to the fund.

Last updated November 9, 2026. Published by Grantsights from public sources. See our editorial policy, how we build and check guides, corrections and how we make money.

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