Two state grants pump $3 million into Detroit gym

The Downtown Boxing Gym in Wayne County will receive two grants from the 2025 state budget, totaling $3 million. One grant passes through a regional educational service agency four counties away.

A $2 million grant for the gym is listed among the Labor and Economic Opportunity grants in the budget. The other grant flows through the Clinton County Regional Educational Service Agency, which will pass the funds to the gym.

The state’s 2025 education budget allocates $75 million to Clinton County RESA, which provides special education and other services to six school districts in the greater Lansing area. Of that amount, the regional district must distribute $18 million to specific organizations, including the Downtown Boxing Gym, which is 108.7 miles from the RESA building.

The nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency confirmed to Michigan Capitol Confidential that the gym will receive two separate grants, totaling $3 million.

The $2 million grant is “to support services that provide free out-of-school time programming and supports program alumni, students, and families,” agency analyst Noel Benson told CapCon in an email.

The $1 million grant flows through Clinton County RESA for programming, construction and other remodeling, Benson wrote. The Michigan Constitution allows the pass-through of grants outside an organization’s service area.

”Under Article IX Sec. 11 of the Michigan Constitution, School Aid Fund dollars may be used only for aid to school districts, higher education, and school employees’ retirement systems,” Benson wrote.

CapCon sent an email to members of the RESA board asking for comment. None have responded.

The fee-free youth mentorship program subsidized by the budget helps Michiganders, the Downtown Boxing Gym told CapCon in an email.

“For every student we serve, there are thousands more on a waiting list who greatly need the individualized academic support, transformative mentorship, and measured impact we provide,” an official wrote. “Meeting that need requires significant funds and we work tirelessly to raise those funds to ensure every child can receive the equitable access to education and opportunities they need and deserve.”

The gym has served the community for 17 years. The funding will help expand its campus, build a new STEAM building and double the number of students, a representative said in an email.

“We applaud our lawmakers for investing in the education of our young people and the enhancement of our community. Investments like these will result in a better state and a better world for all of us,” the orgnization said.