(Harrisburg, Pa.) — Today, Governor Josh Shapiro proposed a state budget that grows investments in life-saving community violence prevention programs, which have contributed to an 46.5% decrease in gun homicides since their 2022 peak.
The budget proposal calls for a $5.5 million increase to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) program, bringing the 2026-2027 allocation to $68.5 million. The Building Opportunity through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) program calls for an additional $1 million, bringing the total funding to $12.5 million.
CeaseFirePA CEO Adam Garber made the following statement:
When something works, you do keep doing it. When gun homicides keep falling, for three years in a row, you keep funding the CVI programs that are responsible. CeaseFirePA welcomes Governor Shapiro’s proposed budget, which continues to prioritize saving lives and builds on the success of the community violence intervention program he has championed for years.
Making our communities safer isn’t political or partisan.
With the Federal Government reducing CVI funding, it’s more important than ever that we continue to have strong advocates, policy, and funding streams at the state level. Gun violence affects every community, rural, urban or suburban, and it will take all of us to solve it. Governor Shapiro has been committed to that mission since taking office, and we are happy to see him building on that priority with today’s budget proposal.
Previous years of investment in evidence-backed community violence intervention programs have led to a drastic reduction in gun violence. A report released in March, 2025 by CeaseFirePA Education Fund demonstrated a decrease in gun homicides due to historic investment in violence prevention programs. An ongoing funding commitment to this work would be especially welcomed, allowing community groups to solidify their valuable work. However, CeaseFirePA warned that without continued investment, shootings may rise again.
That report, Invest More to Save More: Why a $100 Million Investment Will Save More Lives and More Money in Pennsylvania, called for an investment of $8 per resident or $100 million a year. Today, we celebrate the march towards that figure and once again issue the urgent call to achieve this significant investment, which will save the state up to $500 million a year by reducing healthcare, criminal justice, and economic costs, while boosting tourism and business.
Since peaking in 2022, there has been a 42 percent drop in total victims of gun violence statewide, and a 38 percent drop in gun deaths by firearm, according to an analysis of the Gun Violence Archives by CeaseFirePA Education Fund. Regional data revealed Philadelphia experienced a 52 percent decrease in gun violence over two years, its lowest levels in a decade. Allegheny County also saw a remarkable drop, reducing by 30 percent over two years.
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As the Commonwealth’s leading gun violence prevention organization, CeaseFirePA Education Fund organizes communities closest to the issue, holds those in power accountable, and maximizes the strengths of every member in its broad coalition.
