Mayor Ed Gainey and other officials stood among displays of downward trending crime data at the City County building Monday to sign a resolution authorizing $1.75 million in agreements with various organizations as part of the Stop the Violence community grant program.
“This event marks the official signing of the Stop The Violence Fund 2025 Community Investment Grants Bill awarding funding that will empower 39 community organizations to continue their vital, on-the-ground work in impacted neighborhoods,” said Felicity Williams, the mayor’s deputy chief of staff.
The fund, created in 2020, sets aside up to $10 million each year to help reduce violent crime in Pittsburgh.
“This is government at its best,” said Daniel Lavelle, president of the city council. “This is government acknowledging that … one of our primary roles is the health and welfare and the public safety of the citizenry.”
At the press conference, Gainey pointed to a three year decline in violence. Homicide rates in the city, he pointed out, are at an eight-year low.
From Jan. through Aug. 2025, there have been 91 shootings in Pittsburgh — down from 163 shootings during the same period in 2021 when the number of shootings peaked, according to data from the Pittsburgh Violent Crimes Dashboard.
Gainey praised the work that local organizations have done helping to decrease violence in the city.
“ [The organizations] exercised an unwavering strength and respect to our young people that says that you don’t have to die in these streets,” he said. “You can reject the streets.”
Williams applauded the efforts of groups working in Pittsburgh communities to reduce crime.
“These organizations are not just recipients of grants, they are guardians of our communities, advocates for change and partners in the ongoing efforts to build a safer, more resilient Pittsburgh because of the relentless dedication of community members who refuse to give up,” she said.
Community leaders like Marty Langford spoke during the event about the positive impacts associated with youth mentorship and community organizations like the Westside Mustangs Youth Athletic Association.
“ We started out our first season in 2017 with maybe 90 kids,” Langford recalled. “Today as I speak, we have 229 kids in our program with another 50 volunteers … Our work is never done because there’s always a kid that needs our help. The parents lean on us.
“Our biggest thing is, if we got [kids] with us, they can’t be doing nothing wrong out in the streets,” he added.
Community-based nonprofit organizations, like 1Hood Media, were also represented during the signing to talk about how funding and supporting safe spaces for youth impacts their development.
“It means closing the gap for shoes and school supplies going into a new school semester,” said Jasmine Green, director of education at 1Hood Media. “ Finally being able to relax and feel ownership over a space that was always theirs, to have that there is a deeper sense of what safety can mean.”
