The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation is donating $500,000 to the Downtown Boxing Gym to support its "books before boxing" program for students and build an apprenticeship program.

The two-year grant is the largest the Detroit nonprofit has received to date, and it will be put toward its goal of serving 250 students through the free afterschool academic and athletic program by 2020, according to a news release.

Funds will be used to hire additional full-time staff and develop the next generation of boxing gym leaders.

The program currently serves 150 boys and girls ages 8-18 from across metro Detroit. There are 850 more on a waiting list, it said in the release.

Founder and CEO Khali Sweeney said he hopes to eventually open more locations in Detroit and across the country.

"The streets have no waiting list," he said in the release. "The county jail has no waiting list. The city morgue is open 24/7. We can't afford to have a waiting list when we're building our next generation of leaders — our future doctors and lawyers and inventors, politicians, police officers and engineers. That's why grants like this are so impactful."

Last year, Downtown Boxing Gym, located at 6445 E. Vernor Highway on the city's east side, was raising funds for a $2.3 million renovation and energy-efficiency program. It has also teamed with Detroit-based Rocket Fiber and Detroit Diesel Corp. to allow more kids into the gym and teach them about careers in IT.

Sweeney, a heavy-hitting community activist, was a Crain's 2017 Changemaker and a CNN Hero.