Lodge Donates $100,000 in Instruments to Schools

Mountain View De Anza Lodge No. 194 gave musical instruments to Mountain View schools from its educational endowment on October 3.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Philanthropy

Quiet school music room with a cello beside a vibraphone and brass instruments on stands in soft window light. — Mountain View De Anza Lodge No. 194 donated $100,000 in musical instruments to Mountain View Whisman School District schools on October 3, including about $50,000 for Mountain View High School. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Mountain View De Anza Lodge No. 194 donated $100,000 in musical instruments to schools in the Mountain View Whisman School District on October 3. About $50,000 of the instruments went to Mountain View High School, with the remainder distributed across the district.

Why it matters

The lodge says the donation is meant to ensure that a student's decision to play an instrument does not depend on whether the school has one available. The gift was made from the lodge's educational endowment and was given as instruments rather than cash.

The donation totaled $100,000, with approximately $50,000 going to Mountain View High School. Graham Middle School's band received five trumpets, five clarinets, and an acoustic bass, and the source does not report how many students will use them.

The players

Mountain View De Anza Lodge No. 194

A local chapter of the Freemasons based in Mountain View that funds community and educational programs through its endowment.

Mountain View High School

A public high school in Mountain View, California, that serves as the district's largest recipient of the donated instruments.

The details

The lodge donated a cello, a vibraphone, two violas, percussion instruments, and a new speaker system to Mountain View High School. Graham Middle School's band program received five trumpets, five clarinets, and an acoustic bass, and its auditorium received a new sound board; the lodge had previously donated stage curtains to Graham's instrumental program.

October 3, 2026: Mountain View De Anza Lodge No. 194 donated the instruments to Mountain View schools.
November 11, 2026: An article reporting on the donation was published.

Philanthropy Context

The gift follows the lodge's earlier donation of stage curtains to Graham Middle School's instrumental program, extending a multi-year pattern of support for the district's music programs. It adds equipment at both the high school and middle school levels within the Mountain View Whisman School District.

Students in Mountain View schools will have access to the donated cello, violas, percussion, and band instruments without having to rely on the school's existing inventory. Families who want their children to start an instrument can look to these school programs rather than purchasing their own.

The takeaway

Community organizations that fund instruments directly can remove cost and availability barriers for students who want to join school music programs. Parents and educators can ask their local schools which instruments are in short supply.