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Atlantic City’s casinos are helping fund more than gaming and entertainment. Through the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, casino-related investment is supporting workforce development and community programs across the city — including a $100,000 grant to MudGirls Studios, a nonprofit ceramics organization helping women turn clay skills into career opportunities.
The grant is allowing MudGirls to expand its workforce development program while broadening access to hands-on arts programming for children, families and seniors in Atlantic City. The organization trains women facing barriers such as unemployment, trauma and homelessness in ceramic arts, production and entrepreneurship.
The award is part of the broader CRDA grant activity, in which the authority approved 14 community grants totaling nearly $1.8 million during the first half of 2026.
How casino funding reaches Atlantic City communities
MudGirls’ grant also illustrates how Atlantic City’s casino industry contributes to community investment through CRDA.
New Jersey gambling laws require casino licensees to meet an investment obligation equal to 1.25% of gross gaming revenue or pay a 2.5% investment alternative tax. Casino operators can satisfy the obligation through qualified investments, contributions, or deposits with CRDA.
CRDA then uses its resources to support eligible economic and community development projects in Atlantic City. Its 2026 grants have covered areas including:
- Workforce development
- Food security
- Education
- Public art
- Homelessness outreach
- Free public entertainment
That makes the MudGirls award part of a larger effort to direct casino-related investment toward programs intended to strengthen the city beyond its gaming industry.
From clay training to career opportunities
MudGirls Studios began in 2016 as a small group of women working with clay at Adelaide’s Place, an Atlantic City day shelter. Under founder Dorrie Papademetriou, it has grown into a ceramics organization offering workforce training alongside youth camps, free community classes and workshops.
Its workforce program teaches ceramic arts, tile-making, clay production and design while helping women facing various socio-economic barriers.
The CRDA funding has already produced measurable results. Thirteen women participated in the program, with five securing jobs after completing their training, including two at high-end restaurants. Two others enrolled as full-time students at Stockton University.
MudGirls has also built partnerships with organizations to help connect participants with education and employment opportunities, including:
- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City
- Atlantic Cape Community College
- Stockton University
A broader investment in Atlantic City
MudGirls is one of several organizations benefiting from CRDA’s 2026 community grant program.
During the first six months of the year, the authority approved nearly $1.8 million across 14 grants. The awards included $300,000 for Atlantic Cape Community College’s Atlantic City Works workforce training program, $231,150 for the C.R.O.P.S. Atlantic City Food Security Plan and $134,075 for the Atlantic City Arts Foundation’s mural and 48 Blocks Festival initiatives.
Other funding supported free concerts, the Atlantic City Marathon, literacy programs, youth workforce development and homelessness outreach.
In an NJCRDA report, CRDA Board Chair Modia Butler said the authority evaluates recipients based on their track record, community impact and financial accountability, with the goal of ensuring its funding produces measurable results.
For MudGirls, the results are already visible in the form of new jobs, continued education and expanded access to the arts.
The organization’s next challenge is turning that momentum into lasting opportunity. With CRDA funding helping expand both workforce training and community programming, MudGirls is betting that a little clay can go a long way toward building a more stable future for Atlantic City residents.
