The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority Board approved 14 community grants totaling nearly $1.8 million during the first six months of 2026, funding organizations working in food security, workforce development, youth services, adult education, public art, homelessness outreach and free public entertainment.
“Each of these grants reflect the full range of what it takes to build a healthy, vibrant Atlantic City,” CRDA’s executive director Eric Scheffler said. “From feeding families and training the next generation of workers to filling the Boardwalk with free music and more, every one of these organizations is doing impactful work to support our vibrant city.”
CRDA Board Chair Mo Butler said the grants match the mission of the organization.
“Our Board takes its responsibility to invest wisely in Atlantic City’s future very seriously,” he said. “From murals painted and meals grown to the number of students tutored, workers trained and jobs created, the work we are supporting through these grants illustrates the direct impact of our funding.”
Here’s a look at the grants CRDA approved:
Workforce development
- Atlantic Cape Community College: $300,000 to launch Phase 5 of Atlantic City Works, a training program that has trained roughly 850 residents and generated an estimated $20 million in economic impact since it began.
- NAN Tech World Atlantic City: $100,000 for a National Action Network program offering hands-on training in coding, culinary arts and cybersecurity for youth ages 14 to 18.
- Empowerment Tools Coalition: $69,825 for youth workforce readiness, career exploration and substance abuse prevention programming.
- MudGirls Studios: $100,000 to sustain its ceramics-based job training program for women facing barriers to employment and expand community art offerings for children and seniors.
“CRDA’s investment gives women in Atlantic City who are rebuilding their lives a real pathway to a paycheck and a skill they can build a career on,” Dorrie Papademetriou, executive director of MudGirls Studios, said. “This funding is the difference between a program that survives and one that grows.”
Education
- Literacy New Jersey Atlantic Cape: $30,000 to continue free tutoring in basic literacy, English as a second language, GED preparation and job readiness skills for Atlantic City adults. The organization served 45 students last year, logging more than 1,300 hours of one-on-one instruction.
Food security and wellness
- Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces (C.R.O.P.S.): $231,150 to continue its Atlantic City Food Security Plan, which operates community gardens, SNAP-accessible farmers markets, a farmer training program and the city’s first Food Hub.
- Angels in Motion: $62,200 to expand transportation assistance and wellness programming for residents facing homelessness, mental health challenges and substance use disorders.
“CRDA’s continued investment keeps our gardens growing and our Food Hub running, which means thousands of Atlantic City community members have fresh, local food on their tables that simply wasn’t accessible before,” said Lisa Newcomb, executive director of C.R.O.P.S.
Arts and culture
- Atlantic City Arts Foundation: $134,075 to install four new murals and produce the 48 Blocks Festival, building on a program that has created more than 105 murals citywide.
- Creative Multi Media: $13,375 to produce its Keeping the Music Alive series, honoring the city’s musical history through live events and a youth talent search.
Entertainment
- Atlantic City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade: $30,000 for the 41-year tradition, which drew an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 spectators to the Boardwalk in 2025.
- National Rhythm and Blues Music Society: $142,750 for an Old School Soul and R&B concert at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
- Tony Mart Presents: $225,000 for 16 free Mardi Gras AC concerts at Kennedy Plaza.
- No Vacancy Entertainment: $150,000 for the It’s Pure AC Concert Series, celebrating the history of the city’s legendary clubs, including Club Harlem and The 500 Club.
- Jewish Community Center of Atlantic County: $75,000 for the Atlantic City Marathon Race Series, which draws more than 7,000 runners annually and generates an estimated $6 million-plus in economic impact.
“Every grant we award has to earn its place — we closely evaluate each organization’s track record, community impact, and financial accountability before any dollar is released from CRDA,” said Maisha Moore, CRDA’s deputy executive director. “What you see in this first half of 2026 is the result of that process.”
All of the 2026 grants are structured as reimbursable awards from the Tourism District and Community Development Fund, meaning recipients must first incur eligible costs and submit documentation before CRDA releases funds.
