Extending Konner's legacy: Nearly $150K in Grants to support Washoe County schools

The Konner Robison Scholastic Gateway Fund at the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada awarded $146,756 in grants to 13 Washoe County School District (WCSD) schools to purchase technology tools for their students, furthering Konner’s commitment to empowering students and bridging educational gaps.

With a mission to provide Washoe County students direct access to modern technology to be competitive in a new age of technology-based learning, the Konner Robison Scholastic Gateway Fund was founded by Konner in 2011 when he was just a high school student himself. Over two years of grant cycles, Konner fundraised and awarded more than $140,000 to provide local students with much-needed technology for advanced math and science classes.

After graduating from Sage Ridge School, the fund closed as Konner left Reno to study at Stanford University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Science and Engineering while simultaneously earning a master’s degree in public policy. He went on to Cornell University, where he completed the accelerated MBA program and two years of law school.

Konner continued his commitment to social justice and caring for people in need. He joined the team at the Community Foundation supporting our campaign to establish the Northern Nevada Endowment Fund and promoted education as a Washoe County K-12 Education Foundation board member. He traveled and studied abroad, served as a U.S. Navy Reservist, lettered in numerous sports, and dreamed of bettering his community and country as a public servant.

Konner died from an aggressive form of bone cancer last November. He was 28 years old. As a testament to his passion for serving his community and to honor his philanthropic legacy, his family reinstated the Konner Robison Scholastic Gateway Fund to benefit schools and students in Washoe County.

“We express our deepest gratitude to all of our generous donors and the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada for their unwavering support,” said Claire Robison, Konner’s wife. “It is incredibly meaningful to us to honor Konner’s legacy by reinstating the Scholastic Gateway Fund; his commitment to public service was unparalleled, and preserving his memory in this manner could not be more fitting.”

The 13 WCSD schools that will receive funding from the grant this cycle are: Billinghurst, Depoali, Dilworth, Mendive, Shaw, Sky Ranch, and Swope middle schools; and Damonte Ranch, Galena, Gerlach K-12, North Valleys, Reno, and Wooster high schools.

“We are grateful to the family of Konner Robison for their overwhelming generosity to our schools,” said WCSD Interim Superintendent Kristen McNeill. “Our students will benefit from his remarkable and enduring legacy of service to all for many years in the future.”

Another cycle for awards will open this fall. You can join in Konner's legacy with a gift to the Scholastic Gateway Fund.