Looking to revive interest in the faith-based initiative that marked the early months of his first term in office, President Bush has announced a spring summit to bring corporate foundations and faith-based organizations together, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The announcement followed a closed-door meeting between the president and seventeen African-American ministers and civic leaders, many of whom run church-affiliated social service programs. Administration officials said they would focus their efforts on large foundations with policies that limit or forbid donations to religious charities. Several corporate foundations, including those established by IBM, General Motors, and ExxonMobil, fall into that category.

"I think we can all understand their reluctance, just as we see within government a reluctance to fund a faith-based organization because you don't want money to go to preaching or proselytizing," said Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. "While we have removed barriers [on donations to faith-based groups] at the federal level, within corporate boardrooms and foundation boardrooms, there are still barriers in place."

Experts noted that corporate foundations tend to adhere to strict guidelines, giving only to established groups and causes such as education or the arts. "They are relatively agnostic, for lack of a better word," said Stephen Jordan, executive director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Corporate Citizenship in Washington, D.C.

But one pastor in attendance at the meeting said the president's pledge would force corporate executives to consider questions of race as they distribute millions of dollars in donations designed to boost their companies' images. "This is all about whether white corporations become rational corporate citizens when it comes to black Americans, who are lagging behind all social groups," said the Rev. Eugene Rivers, who heads a church and charity in Boston.