The Jesse Helms Center Foundation (JHC) is a foundation that promotes free enterprise and traditional American values through lectures, educational programs, and events. Named for controversial former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC), the Foundation serves as an archive of Helms’ political career and continues to use Helms’ values and causes as the basis of its educational work. ¹

JHC is an associate member of the State Policy Network. ²

About

The Jesse Helms Center Foundation was founded in 1988 as the official library and archive of former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms and is housed on the campus of Wingate University, Helms’ alma mater. Collected documents at the Foundation span Helms’ time as senator, city councilman, and media executive. ³

Activity

JHC’s flagship program is its Free Enterprise Leadership Challenge (FELC), a summer program that introduces high school students to the ideas of free market capitalism. Started in 1995, FELC claims over 10,000 graduates in the U.S. and abroad. JHC also offers an online curriculum, Free Enterprise Now, allowing the general public to learn free enterprise business principles. ⁴

The Jesse Helms Center offers a range of lectures that “explore the conservative truth,” with topics that include foreign policy, human rights, government, and religion. ⁵ Recent lecturers include Robert Wilkie, Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Trump administration; Walter Lohman, director of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation; Marc Thiessen, columnist, Fox News contributor, and former chief speechwriter for former President George W. Bush; Oliver North, former president of the National Rifle Association; and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). ⁶

With support from the John William Pope Foundation, JHC hosts annual lectures in North Carolina and Washington, D.C. specific to foreign policy. These lectures have featured speakers like former Vice President Dick Cheney, former National Security Council advisor John Bolton, and members of Congress representing North Carolina.

JHC is part of a coalition, along with groups like the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, the National Center for Public Policy Research, and the James Madison Institute, that has signed a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin urging him to defer individual tax payment deadlines into 2021 in response to COVID-19, calling these tax payments a “fiscal cliff endangering our economic recovery.” ⁷

Namesake

Jesse Helms served in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2003 as a leading voice of the conservative movement. In order to organize conservative public policy positions, Helms helped to establish the bipartisan Senate Steering Committee. In 1995, Helms became the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He went on to work with then-Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) to reform the United Nations and was the first legislator to speak before the United Nations Security Council. ⁸ Helms was frequently referred to as “Senator No,” as he opposed many policies that would expand the role of the federal government. ⁹

Funding

The Jesse Helms Center receives funding from individuals, corporations, and foundations with annual membership options starting at $100. Upper tier memberships come with perks like VIP tickets to events, special lectures, and dinners, along with “behind the scenes” tours of the archives. ¹⁰ Foundation support comes from the E. A. Morris Charitable Foundation,¹¹ and the John William Pope Foundation, among others. ¹²

People

President Brian Rogers formerly served as executive director for the Defenders of Property Rights and as director of special projects for the Leadership Institute. ¹³

Jarvis Moss is the director of Free Enterprise Programs at JHC and formerly served in the campaign office of U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC). ¹⁴

President Emeritus John Dodd is the former president of the consulting firm J&T Dodd. Dodd serves as a senior fellow for the American Leadership Forum and formerly served as a member of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation Scholars Review Jury. Dodd is the co-author of And The World Came His Way-Jesse Helms’ Contributions to Freedom. ¹⁵

Board of Directors

Chair Jimmy Broughton served as chief of staff to Sen. Helms from 1991 to 2003 and is currently a lobbyist with the law firm Womble Carlyle. ¹⁶

Vice Chair Frank Aikmus serves on the Union County Board of Commissioners and as a Senate appointee on the N.C. Debt Affordability Advisory Committee. ¹⁷

Secretary Jim Duncan is the founder of the Coalition for American Principles and formerly served as the chair of the Chatham County Republican Party. ¹⁸

Rhett Brown in the president of Wingate University. ¹⁹

Mary Summa formerly served as an advisor to Senator Jesse Helms and as an independent advisor to the North Carolina Family Policy Council. Summa is currently the Pro-Life issue chair of the Eagle Forum, a social-conservative group associated with the late right-wing activist Phyllis Schlafly. ²⁰

Other board members include Treasurer Marion Bagwell, Jesse Helm’s nephew Paul Coble, William Crowder, Jesse Helm’s daughter Nancy Helms, John Hendley, State Senator Todd Johnson (R-NC), Joseph Patterson, Mike Stuart, Brian Summers, and C. C. Dickson, Jr. (Emeritus).

1. “Home.” The Jesse Helms Center Foundation. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://jessehelmscenter.org/.
2. “The Network: North Carolina.” State Policy Network, 2020. Accessed October 8, 2020. https://spn.org/directory/#NC.
3. “The Jesse Helms Center.” John William Pope Foundation, 2020. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://jwpf.org/stories/the-jesse-helms-center/.
4. “The Jesse Helms Center.” John William Pope Foundation, 2020. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://jwpf.org/stories/the-jesse-helms-center/.
5. “Lectures Overview.” The Jesse Helms Center Foundation. Accessed September 9, 2020. https://jessehelmscenter.org/lectures.
6. “News and Updates.” The Jesse Helms Center Foundation. Accessed September 9, 2020. https://jessehelmscenter.org/news.
7. “Coalition Urges Treasury Action on Upcoming “Fiscal Cliff” of Tax Payment Deadlines.” National Taxpayers Union Foundation, June 18, 2020. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://www.ntu.org/foundation/detail/coalition-urges-treasury-action-on-upcoming-fiscal-cliff-of-tax-payment-deadlines.
8. “Senator Helms Biography.” The Jesse Helms Center Foundation. Accessed September 9, 2020. https://jessehelmscenter.org/senator-helms-biography.
9. “The Jesse Helms Center.” John William Pope Foundation, 2020. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://jwpf.org/stories/the-jesse-helms-center/.
10. “Donate.”  https://jessehelmscenter.org/donate.
11. EA Morris Charitable Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2006-2018, Part XV, Line 3.
12. John William Pope Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2014 and 2018, Part XV, Line 3.
13. “Brian Rogers.” The Jesse Helms Center Foundation. Accessed October 8, 2020.  The Jesse Helms Center Foundation. Accessed September 9, 2020. http://www.jessehelmscenter.org/rogers-bio.
14. “Jarvis Moss.” The Jesse Helms Center Foundation. Accessed September 9, 2020.  http://www.jessehelmscenter.org/moss-bio.
15. “John Dodd.” The Jesse Helms Center Foundation. Accessed September 9, 2020. http://www.jessehelmscenter.org/dodd-bio.
16. “Jimmy Broughton.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed September 22, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-broughton-234414a/.
17. “Frank Aikmus.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed September 22, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankaikmus/.
18. “Jim Duncan.” Ballotpedia. Accessed September 22, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Jim_Duncan.
19. “Rhett Brown.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed September 22, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhett-brown-95739543/.
20. “Meet Our New Pro-Life Issue Chairman.” Eagle Forum, January 27, 2017. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://eagleforum.org/state-news/meet-new-pro-life-issue-chairman.html.