The Seattle Times has started a new blog, The Business of Giving, to look at philanthropy and the growing intersection of the nonprofit and for-profit worlds.

“Business isn’t just about profit,” writes Kristi Helm, a business reporter at the paper. “For many people in Seattle, it has come to include social, ethical, or environmental goals. And these days more nonprofits are applying business savvy to achieve social change. Humanitarian organizations are borrowing ideas and methods from the venture capital world. The line between commerce and charity is blurring.”

Postings so far discuss humanitarian conditions in Gaza, plans by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to reduce grant making this year, and the impact of the recession on Social Venture Partners, a group in Seattle whose members pool their funds and then choose charities to support.