Although it arguably doesn’t need much more support at this point, popular social network Facebook now has the backing of one of Silicon Valley’s most respected venture capital firms.  Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is said to be investing about $38 million at a valuation of $52 billion.

Sabrina Willmer reported this morning, "The venture capital firm . . . is in the process of securing a stake in Facebook by investing $38 million from its $750 million debut digital growth fund, said two prospective investors."

Kleiner Perkins has lent its support to many other successful companies, so this move represents a large compliment even if Facebook doesn’t require the cash.  It never hurts for a company to be lumped in with Amazon, Electronic Arts, and Google.

The development signals that Facebook’s value in the eyes of investors continues to grow, as well.  Willmer noted, "Kleiner is buying shares at a $52 billion valuation, a bit higher than the $50 billion price tag that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and DST Global placed on Facebook in last month’s $1.5 billion funding round."

Then here’s one more detail for anyone interested in record-keeping and potential SEC involvement: Kleiner Perkins is supposedly buying the shares on the private market, rather than getting them straight from Facebook.

As a result, Facebook shouldn’t face much new scrutiny or pressure to go public.