Where the middle 50% lands.
Half earn between $117k and $193k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $243k, roughly 1.7 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.
| Percentile | Total comp | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 90th | $243,094 | Top 10% of earners |
| 75th | $193,282 | 25% earn more than this |
| 50th · median | $141,435 | The typical executive |
| 25th | $116,582 | 25% earn less than this |
| 10th | $50,563 | 10% of executives earn less than this |
How the package is built.
The typical pay structure across 201 organizations with full Schedule J reporting (43% of the 468 orgs in this slice). Each share is the average across orgs of the fraction of total comp that goes to this component, so the bar fills 100%.
The number in context.
Every row links to its own dedicated benchmark page.
All figures are median total reported compensation · IRS Form 990, Schedule J
Pay varies by state.
New York pays $10,166 more than the median Development Director compensation in arts, culture & humanities nationally.
The ten highest-paid arts, culture & humanities Development Directors by filing.
| # | Organization | Location | Total compensation | Filing year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Carnegie Hall Corporation | New York, NY | $729,557 | 2023 |
| 02 | Houston Museum Of Natural Science | Houston, TX | $548,844 | 2023 |
| 03 | The Museum Of Fine Arts Houston | Houston, TX | $534,517 | 2023 |
| 04 | Sesame Workshop | New York, NY | $516,212 | 2023 |
| 05 | Boston Symphony Orchestra Inc | Boston, MA | $452,033 | 2023 |
| 06 | Colonial Williamsburg Foundation | Williamsburg, VA | $434,209 | 2023 |
| 07 | National Public Radio Inc | Washington, DC | $375,743 | 2023 |
| 08 | The Detroit Institute Of Arts | Detroit, MI | $373,314 | 2023 |
| 09 | The Musical Arts Association | Cleveland, OH | $344,863 | 2023 |
| 10 | National Trust For Historic Preservation In The United States | Washington, DC | $344,172 | 2023 |
Total includes base, bonus, other reportable, and deferred/retirement compensation per Schedule J.
What does a $X org pay?
Adjust the slider to your organization's revenue. The median Development Director compensation for arts, culture & humanities nonprofits in that revenue band updates live.
{sector} {role} pay, answered
- How much does a Arts, Culture & Humanities nonprofit Development Director make?
- The median total compensation for a Development Director at a arts, culture & humanities nonprofit is $141,435, based on 468 organizations in IRS Form 990 filings. The middle 50% fall between $116,582 and $193,282.
- What is the salary range for a Development Director in Arts, Culture & Humanities nonprofits?
- Pay ranges from $116,582 at the 25th percentile to $193,282 at the 75th and $243,094 at the 90th. The spread reflects differences in organization size, budget, and region within the sector.
- Is this Arts, Culture & Humanities compensation data reliable?
- Yes. It comes from IRS Form 990 filings, legal documents filed under penalty of perjury, not self-reported surveys. Figures cover 468 arts, culture & humanities nonprofits reporting a Development Director.
- Why does Arts, Culture & Humanities nonprofit Development Director pay differ from other sectors?
- Compensation reflects the typical organization size, revenue, and operating complexity of each sector. Larger, better-funded arts, culture & humanities organizations pull the upper percentiles higher, while smaller ones anchor the lower end.