Nearly three-quarters (74.6%) of U.S. Microsoft partners receiving Microsoft marketing funding would reduce or stop marketing activities if that support disappeared, according to Microsoft Partner Marketing, Measured: USA Edition 2026, a study of U.S. Microsoft partner decision-makers commissioned by Resultful. Despite investing nearly 5% of revenue in marketing on average, many partners remain dependent on Microsoft’s Co-op and marketing development funds (MDF) to sustain their growth efforts.
The research also exposes significant gaps in marketing accountability. Some 43.1% of partners cannot measure marketing’s contribution to revenue or are unsure whether they can, while just 53.8% say their marketing plans align with business goals. Surprisingly, only 16.7% cite budget as a marketing obstacle, compared with 35.1% who struggle with competing internal priorities. Meanwhile, making better use of Microsoft Co-op funding ranked last among 11 marketing priorities.
For MSPs, the findings highlight the risks of building a growth strategy around funding they don’t control. Tracking marketing ROI, maximizing vendor incentives and developing sustainable lead-generation programs can help partners protect their sales pipelines if funding changes. As Resultful CEO Nathan Selby warned in a prepared statement, partners need to understand “what the funding is delivering, and where they would be exposed if it changed.”
