Obama Will Accept Corporate Money to Finance Inauguration President Obama will accept unlimited donations from corporations - but no money from lobbyists or political action committees - to finance his 2013 inaugural festivities, a spokeswoman for his inaugural committee said on Friday. The move is a break from Mr. Obama's policy in 2009, when he refused corporate donations for activities related to the inauguration. The committee also said the events surrounding Mr. Obama's inauguration will be smaller in scope than four years ago; the White House is mindful of the fragile state of the economy and does not want a show of opulence. "Our goal is to make sure that we will meet the fund-raising requirements for this civic event after the most expensive presidential campaign in history," the spokeswoman, Addie Whisenant, said in a statement, explaining the reason the committee will take corporate money. She added that the names of donors would be posted to a regularly updated Web site "to ensure continued transparency." The issue of whether the Presidential Inaugural Committee, known as the P.I.C., would accept corporate money to pay for the parade, balls and other inaugural festivities has been a thorny one for Mr. Obama. Companies that donate money may have business before the White House, raising questions of conflict of interest. The committee has some guidelines for the type of corporate money it will accept, an official said. Corporations that accepted money from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, used to rescue the financial system during the economic meltdown of 2008 and 2009, will not be able to donate unless they have paid back the TARP money. In addition, the committee said it would not enter into any sponsorship arrangements with companies. And, in accordance with laws governing contributions to an inaugural committee, the panel will not accept money from foreign individuals or corporations.