Seeking funds to get a small business off the ground or to fund an arts project is nothing new. It’s been happening as long as anyone can remember. A tight economy certainly makes finding money more difficult than ever—companies and foundations just do not have as much to give. Relatives and friends have always been a source of capital, of course. Recently, however, I was “approached” by a new group that seems to be taking small project funding in a new direction.

“KickStarter is a funding platform for artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, inventors, explorers…”

Once KickStarter accepts a project, its service tallies donations of as little as $10 to fund efforts. The service takes a five percent fee for its trouble. If a minimum funding goal is not met, no money changes hands. Interesting.

On the site, I saw that some efforts were capitalized well beyond their goals while others clearly were not going to make it. The funding engine is operated by Amazon, so it seems legitimate. Browse the projects. You can fund a film, a magazine, a photo exhibition, a company that proposes to make bike bags or even the local Cambridge butcher shop shown here.

Corporations and foundations are usually the ones supporting some of the initiatives that make society tick. It’s often part of their corporate social responsibility platform. While it’s true individuals have no end of opportunity to support those they might deem worthy, it’s not always easy to find something that meets your personal idea of something unusual or interesting to support. KickStarter may just have created a way to do that.