PITTSBURGH, PA – Today, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis visited the Citizen Science Lab to highlight how the Shapiro-Davis Administration's 2026-27 budget continues to invest in community-based violence prevention and out-of-school programs that keep kids safe, engaged, and learning during the summer months.
As chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), Davis toured the organization's summer programming, which is supported through a Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) grant, and highlighted the Administration's continued investments in community safety initiatives that are helping drive violent crime down across Pennsylvania. Since taking office, the Shapiro-Davis Administration has provided more than $1 billion in funding through 6,764 PCCD grants across Pennsylvania, helping drive violent crime down 16 percent statewide.
“I’m proud to say I was a Club Kid, spending most afternoons at our local Boys & Girls Club, so I understand how important it is for young people to have safe places they can go when school is out,” said Lt. Governor Davis. “Kids and teens also need enrichment programs, like summer camps, art classes, sports, and exercise, so they can learn and experience a world beyond their neighborhoods. Since Governor Shapiro and I took office, violent crime is down statewide because we're taking a comprehensive approach to making our communities safer — supporting law enforcement, investing in community-led prevention efforts, caring for victims, and addressing the root causes of violence. Our newly signed state budget continues those investments so we can keep making progress, because even one life lost to gun violence is one too many.”
The Citizen Science Lab offers summer camps for young people at its South Hills and Hill District locations, with programming funded in part through a PCCD Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) grant. The initiative serves approximately 500 youth annually across school-year and summer sessions.
“At the Citizen Science Lab, we've seen firsthand what happens when young people are given a safe place to discover their potential,” said Citizen Science Lab’s founder and CEO, Dr. Andre Samuel. “Support through the Violence Intervention and Prevention program doesn't just fund a summer camp — it funds an alternative for kids in the Hill District and right here in South Hills. Every student who walks into our labs is choosing curiosity over the streets, and that choice changes the trajectory of a life. We're grateful to have Lieutenant Governor Davis join us here today to see that work firsthand and to PCCD for recognizing that investing in science education is investing in public safety.”
The 2026-27 budget builds on that progress with the following investments:
- $16.2 million in funding to train four additional Pennsylvania State Police cadet classes.
- More than $50 million for the VIP program, which drives dollars out to community-based organizations to reduce gun violence.
- $11.5 million for the Building Opportunities through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) initiative to keep kids safe, supported, and engaged in afterschool and summer programming.
- $100 million in annual mental health and school safety funding for K–12 schools.
Since the 2023-24 fiscal year, PCCD has approved 354 VIP and BOOST projects, totaling approximately $162 million to support community- and youth-focused safety initiatives across Pennsylvania.
Over the past three years, PCCD has awarded more than $24 million in VIP and BOOST funding to 56 projects in Allegheny County.
“I've seen the impact of the Citizen Science Lab up close,” said Allegheny County Council member Dan Grzybek. “Watching students in our community work through the SeaPerch program to design, build, and test their own underwater robots, I saw kids gain confidence and curiosity that they'll carry for the rest of their lives. That's what these investments make possible. As an engineer, I know how much a single hands-on experience can shape a young person's path. Programs like this keep our kids safe and engaged while opening doors to careers they might never have imagined. I'm grateful to the Shapiro-Davis Administration and PCCD for continuing to invest in them.”