Billionaire Donates $74 million to Assist in Funding New Multi-Sports Complex

The funding will also be used for scholarships and other projects

Khyan Billups of St. Joseph's Prep (PA) takes off for an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage in the 2024 PIAA Class 6A football championship game against Central Catholic at Cumberland Valley High School. The North Philadelphia-based high school recently received a generous $74 million donation from a Class of 1970 alum. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A high school in Pennsylvania has received a generous monetary gift in an effort to bring a “total transformation” to the North Philadelphia campus.

St. Joseph’s Prep officials announced at its Kelly Fieldhouse on Friday that billionaire Nick Howley, along with his wife Lorie and the Howley Foundation, has donated $74 million to his high school alma mater. Nick Howley is a 1970 graduate of the school.

The gift will fund 80 four-year scholarships (with 20 in each grade) for the Howley Scholars Program. It will also help fund the construction of a multi-sports complex, an outdoor courtyard and classroom, an underground parking facility, an amphitheater and an outdoor dining area.

The athletic complex will be used for rugby, football, lacrosse, soccer, ultimate frisbee and more.

“We had 35 different home fields for practices and games,” Prep president John Marinacci said. “Every time we played a field sport, we got on a bus or in a car.”

St. Joseph’s Prep school officials believe that Howley’s donation is the largest gift to a Catholic high school in U.S. history.

“As a trustee, I’ve developed tremendous confidence in the school leadership’s vision for the future and know it is worthy of our investment in the mission,” Howley said via The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Howley is the founder and chairman of TransDigm Group, Inc. publicly traded aerospace manufacturing company located in Cleveland, Ohio. The company develops manufactures engineered aerospace components.

“The Howley Foundation saw the impact that it was having, and really continued their investment in increasing their scholarships,” Marinacci said via CBS News. “They also felt strongly that as students continued to have the experience that they wanted to support, and that Nick had as a Prep alum, it was also worth investing in the infrastructure and the stability of the school.”

According to Crozier Media, construction of the athletic complex will begin in 2027. CBS News noted the rest of the construction will get underway soon, with completion tentatively set for 2030.

“This is a transformative gift. This allows us to sustain and grow our mission,” Marinacci said via The Inquirer. “It’s going to provide opportunities for our students that we’ve never had before in 175 years.”

Howley previously donated $5 million to create the Howley Scholars Program at St. Joseph’s Prep in 2021. He also gave $15 million to fund scholarships at Drexel University, his college alma mater, in 2024.

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