Microsoft for Startups Credit Coverage for Foundry Models

Policy statement

Startup credits apply to Microsoft Foundry models that are sold and billed directly by Azure. Models billed by third‑party providers (including Anthropic), partner services, or available through the Microsoft Marketplace are not eligible.

Why this matters

When building, testing, and deploying services with models from the Microsoft Foundry catalog, it's important to understand how startup credits apply. Your choice of model determines whether usage is covered by your credits or will result in a separate, out-of-pocket invoice.  

Understanding sponsorship coverage upfront helps you avoid unexpected third-party charges and stay within your allocated credits as you scale. It also supports informed architectural decisions early, whether you're experimenting, building an MVP, or moving to production in the Microsoft Foundry environment.

The guidance below clarifies which Microsoft Foundry models are covered by sponsorship credits. It also includes instructions on how to identify eligible models and outlines key considerations when building with Microsoft Foundry. 

Covered models

Models sold directly by Azure are eligible for Microsoft for Startups sponsorship credits. These models are billed as Azure‑native AI services and appear as standard Azure usage on your Azure invoice.

Models not covered

Models sold by partners and community are excluded from sponsorship eligibility due to the billing source. This includes models published by non‑Microsoft providers, open‑source or commercial models hosted by partner services, and models billed through Microsoft Marketplace or other third‑party consumption agreements.  

Although these models may be deployable from Microsoft Foundry, their usage is billed separately by the model provider. 

Caution

The following providers with popular models are not covered by startup credits:

• Anthropic
• Cohere (select models)
• Hugging Face
• Meta (select models)
• Mistral AI (select models) 

Model availability considerations

How identify models eligible for Microsoft for Startups startup credits:

• In the Microsoft Foundry Portal, use the “Direct from Azure” collection to discover models that are hosted and billed directly by Azure. These models are eligible for application of startup credits.

The models available in Microsoft Foundry may change over time, and billing characteristics can vary as the platform evolves. Always verify the latest coverage in the following Microsoft Foundry documentation: 

• Models sold directly by Azure (covered by startup credits) 

• Models sold by partners and community (not covered by startup credits)

Key takeaway: If Microsoft bills the AI model usage to your Azure subscription, startup credits apply.