256 Filmmakers and Financing One client, for example, applied for $30,000. Since the founda- tion he applied to had a $10,000 cap, the application was rejected. It would seem rational that they might award part of the budget; however, this foundation didn't work that way. Because they only would fund one project a year, it was all or nothing. Another short film client submitted this story: The biggest mistake I ever made in regard to trying to get a grant was in submitting what I thought at the time to be a flawless application and essay. Later I learned from the foundation's director that my mistake was not sub- mitting any personal information about myself. I had, in effect, turned in a very professional, comprehensive, and worthy application but forgot that the people reviewing it wouldn't know anything about who I was as a per- son. Therefore, they felt no emotional connection to me whatsoever. My advice is to be as forthright and transparent as possible so that the people reading your application will want to give you what you're asking for. In the case of grants, they need to not only like and admire your work but like and admire you. The grant market is so different from the commercial market