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A $100,000 Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) grant to MudGirls Studios has helped five women secure jobs, while two participants returned to Stockton University as full-time students.
The award was part of nearly $1.8 million in CRDA grants approved for Atlantic City workforce development, community services, and public events earlier this year.
MudGirls used the funding to provide ceramics-based workforce training to 13 women while also expanding access to hands-on art programs for children, families, and older Atlantic City residents. The CRDA’s latest update details how the grant has impacted participants.
Participants gain production and workplace skills
MudGirls works with women facing barriers that can include unemployment, trauma, and homelessness. Through the program, participants develop practical job skills in clay work, tile-making, and ceramics production while contributing to pieces intended for sale or installation.
MudGirls operates as a social enterprise, with revenue from pottery, tiles, and custom products supporting its employment program.
Five of the 13 participants secured work after their training, including two who landed jobs at high-end restaurants. Two women also returned to Stockton as full-time students.
The results come in a city where many residents continue to face financial pressure. U.S. Census Bureau estimates for 2020 through 2024 place Atlantic City’s poverty rate at 32.3%, with a median household income of $41,028.
The restaurant placements also connect participants with the region’s largest private employment sector. Preliminary U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that leisure and hospitality businesses employed 61,100 people in the Atlantic City-Hammonton area in July, down 7.8% from a year earlier.
Hard Rock among MudGirls’ local partners
MudGirls began by holding weekly clay sessions at Adelaide’s Place, an Atlantic City day shelter that supports women experiencing homelessness. Those sessions gradually developed into a larger ceramics operation that the nonprofit says now employs 10 women.
MudGirls has built relationships with local businesses, colleges and Atlantic City casinos. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City is among the organizations that have commissioned its products.
Atlantic City Development Corporation also commissioned MudGirls to produce nearly 4,000 tiles for installations at Stockton University’s Atlantic City campus and the South Jersey Gas headquarters. The CRDA said the program gives participants workforce experience while they contribute to professional-quality art pieces.
New studio expands community programming
MudGirls opened a permanent studio at 2709 Arctic Avenue in July after nearly three years of planning and fundraising. The new storefront gives MudGirls a dedicated space for daily ceramics production while also allowing it to host public classes and other community programs.
Since opening, the studio has hosted Atlantic City Youth Services, a senior conference for Stockton University and a community Clay Connection event. MudGirls also offers youth camps, free community classes, and team-building workshops for local organizations.
The $100,000 award was one of 14 CRDA grants approved during the first half of 2026. Other grants supported workforce training, food access, literacy services, public art, and free events.
Atlantic City casinos are subject to a 1.25% investment obligation on land-based gaming revenue. State law directs the money first toward city debt service, with some excess funding available to the CRDA and other Atlantic City programs.
