Like a lot of artists, I find myself applying for grants from time to time. As a filmmaker, grants can be a challenge to secure. With the exception of occasional funding that goes toward historical or culturally signifigant documentary projects with an immediate benefit to the communities in which they are produced, granting organizations are not in the business of giving money to the production of a narrative film... and I don't blame them. Film production, by its very nature, is a high risk venture. Granting organizations are not lenders or investors thus they are not likely to underwrite projects with a hope of a return on their investment.
However, when it comes to my work with Utah FilmWorks, I have had a bit of success because Utah FilmWorks is not a film project, it's an organization with ongoing programs that happen to be film-related. We work in the medium of cinema with an eye toward enriching the lives of rural youth who have limited access to similar programs in urban areas and granting organizations are more than willing to provide funding for such activities.