Salesianum Schools Get $20 Million Gift
Tigani Theater Rendering
On September 26, 2025, Salesianum School, the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales’ first apostolate in the United States, announced its largest gift in its history—and one of the most significant ever to a Catholic high school in the nation. Thanks to the estate of James V. Tigani, Jr. ’54, Salesianum will transform Spragg Auditorium into the James V. Tigani, Jr. Arts & Innovation Center. The center will be a home for musicians, performers, designers, innovators, and every student who creates. With this gift, Salesianum will further its mission of whole-person education, offering enhanced pathways and opportunities for students to create and engage with art.
The Tigani gift builds on a decade of transformative gifts totaling nearly $70 million that have bolstered the endowment, arts, academics, and athletics— preparing young men from Wilmington, Philadelphia, and across our region for success in college and beyond.
This extraordinary investment continues to bolster Salesianum’s reputation as a regional leader in secondary education, serving young men from ten counties in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and positions Salesianum among the top Catholic high schools nationally in terms of philanthropic gifts.
You can read more here.
Watch a recording of the school announcement here.
