Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency's (PCCD) School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC) approved a new, comprehensive statewide evaluation initiative to examine the effectiveness of programs funded through PCCD to prevent and reduce gun violence.
Today, the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center (NORC), in partnership with Temple University, was approved for an award of up to $2,792,862 in federal VIP funds to support these efforts.
"Addressing gun violence is a top priority for the Shapiro-Davis Administration," PCCD Chair Lt. Gov. Davis said. "This research project represents a crucial step towards understanding the impact of state investments in gun violence reduction efforts. By providing data-driven insights and evidence-based recommendations, we hope to inform policy decisions and contribute to the development of effective, targeted interventions that can save lives and create safer communities."
Earlier this year, PCCD announced the availability of federal funds to support this new VIP Grants Evaluation initiative, seeking a qualified entity to design and deliver an independent assessment of projects to determine outcomes and short-term impacts. This two-year initiative will analyze program implementation and resource utilization, providing insights that can guide future decision-making by state and local leaders.
During the two-year project, NORC and Temple will work closely with PCCD and other project partners to design and deploy a process evaluation, an implementation study, and an outcome evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses of VIP Grant-funded programs. The project will evaluate a portion of VIP Grants as well as all five FY 2022 Coordinated Community Violence Intervention (CCVI) Strategies Pilot Sites.
Researchers will use performance data supplied by grantees through quarterly reports as well as program surveys, process evaluation protocols, interviews/focus groups, and other mechanisms to support the evaluation initiative. The project will produce two research reports (interim and final) documenting key findings and providing recommendations to inform policymakers, stakeholders, and community organizations in their efforts to develop and implement effective strategies to address gun violence.
For more information about the VIP Grants Program, including the VIP Grants Evaluation Initiative, please visit PCCD's Gun Violence Grants & Funding webpage.
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