CatholicPhilly.com staff report • Posted June 14, 2022

Malvern Preparatory School received the largest gift in its history June 9 with a $20 million donation by the Howley Foundation.

It will provide for a variety of needs at the private Catholic school for boys including expansion of campus facilities and annual scholarships for 40 students with who would otherwise not be able to obtain a Malvern Prep education.

The foundation’s chairman and founder, Nick Howley III, said Malvern Prep “has served our family well for multiple generations. This gift will support and expand the middle school and allow 32 students in the upper school and eight middle school students with limited means the opportunity to attend Malvern and participate in the strong academic and character formation that the school provides.”

Nick Howley Jr., who died in 2000, served Malvern Prep as a trustee and chair from 1974 to 1980. His sons Dan, Andy, Tom and Mark are all graduates of the school.

Since the elder Howley helped create Malvern Prep’s middle school, it will take name the W. Nicholas Howley Jr. Middle School when it opens this fall.

In addition to scholarships, the donation will fund two new turf fields and a Student Experience Center consisting of team rooms, a fitness area, academic and classroom space, and offices for staff and administration.

Construction is expected to begin in late 2023 or early 2024.

“This generous and transformational gift of the Howley Foundation allows those financially deserving students and their families to experience an education that will change the trajectory of their lives,” said Augustinian Father Donald Reilly, head of school for Malvern Prep, an Augustinian school for grades six to 12 founded in 1842.

“The multi-year scholarships assure retention and instill a keen incentive to succeed. The Augustinian philosophy of education offers young Friars an excellent academic experience while emphasizing the importance of Friar brotherhood so essential for lifelong friendships.”