Jerome Broussard donates $7 million to FVCC’s Trades Institute
Daily Inter Lake | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 7 hours AGO
Jerome Broussard donated $7 million to FVCC’s Trades Institute on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (Courtesy photo)
Kalispell philanthropist Jerome Broussard donated $7 million to Flathead Valley Community College on Friday, marking the largest single gift in the college’s history.
Broussard's donation is for a planned expansion of the FVCC Trades Institute, adding approximately 24,000 square feet of new space alongside roughly 23,400 square feet of renovated and modernized facilities, according to a press release from the college.
"This extraordinary $7 million gift from Jerome Broussard is a truly transformational investment in the future of our students, our workforce and our community," said FVCC President Jane Karas. "This investment will help prepare students for the in-demand jobs that exist today, while positioning us to educate and train the workforce far into the future. The Broussard’s gift for the Rebecca Cheney Broussard Nursing and Health Science Building, the Broussard Family gift for the Broussard Family Library and Learning Commons, and now Mr. Broussard’s gift to support our Trades Institute are testaments to a generosity that will continue to transform our community far into the future. We are exceptionally grateful for this gift – a reflection of Jerome Broussard's legacy and commitment to change lives through education."
The expansion includes full-service labs for electrical, HVAC, plumbing and machining programs, a new building trades work area and flexible classroom space built to adapt as programs and technology evolve.
"Flexible learning spaces will enable the institute to not only meet current and anticipated enrollment demand, but create a cutting edge learning environment where future tradespeople combine hands-on skills with data, cross-disciplinary teamwork and AI to solve real world problems," the college press release said.
Broussard's $7 million gift comes in addition to other donations to the project. Combined with gifts from other individual donors and proceeds from this summer's Trades Secrets event, FVCC has raised $12 million toward the project's $16 million cost.
FVCC aims to raise the remaining funds by the end of 2026 so that construction can begin.