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Updated through 2024NTEE K · Food, Agriculture & Nutrition

Food, Agriculture & Nutrition nonprofitExecutive Director salaries

Based on 1,750 organizations from 2021 – 2024. Each org counted once at its most recent filing. Sourced directly from IRS Form 990, Schedule J.

Median total compensation
$74,263
The median food, agriculture & nutrition executive director earns $74,263 in total reported compensation.
Median across all 1,750 food, agriculture & nutrition nonprofits filing a Form 990, from the smallest to the largest
25th pct
$38k
75th pct
$128k
90th pct
$210k
1,750 organizations · 2021 – 2024
Percentile distribution

Where the middle 50% lands.

Half earn between $38k and $128k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $210k, roughly 2.8 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.

PercentileTotal compMeans
90th$209,991Top 10% of earners
75th$127,89825% earn more than this
50th · median$74,263The typical executive
25th$38,32625% earn less than this
10th$14,25010% of executives earn less than this
How pay is structured

How the package is built.

The typical pay structure across 336 organizations with full Schedule J reporting (19% of the 1,750 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%.

$212,970
typical total · 2024
Median total compensation in the subset. The dollar amounts below show what each share works out to on a package this size.
87%
Base salary
86.9% of total
$185,071
Bonus & incentive
4.1% of total
$8,732
Retirement & deferred
3.1% of total
$6,602
Benefits
4.2% of total
$8,945
Other reportable
1.0% of total
$2,130
Shares are averaged across organizations, so they sum to ~100%. Dollar amounts are illustrative (share% of typical total) and don't reflect any specific org.
How this compares

The number in context.

Every row links to its own dedicated benchmark page.

Executive DirectorThis page
$74,263
CFO
$96,578
COO
$123,956
Development Director
$151,278

All figures are median total reported compensation · IRS Form 990, Schedule J

Geography

Pay varies by state.

California pays $25,737 more than the median Executive Director compensation in food, agriculture & nutrition nationally.

Top-paying organizations

The ten highest-paid food, agriculture & nutrition Executive Directors by filing.

#OrganizationLocationTotal compensationFiling year
01Vitamin Angel Alliance IncGoleta, CA$1,261,1132024
02Feeding AmericaChicago, IL$1,113,5022023
03The National Restaurant Association Educational FoundationWashington, DC$1,095,6702023
04International Fresh Produce AssociationNewark, DE$1,080,8632023
05American Society For Nutrition IncRockville, MD$887,9102023
06Women'S Foodservice ForumDallas, TX$823,0942024
07Southwestern Exposition And Livestock ShowFort Worth, TX$796,5072023
08Second Harvest HeartlandBrooklyn Park, MN$786,2552023
09Midwest Energy CooperativeCassopolis, MI$744,7372024
10Food Allergy Research & Education IncMclean, VA$679,1212024

Total includes base, bonus, other reportable, and deferred/retirement compensation per Schedule J.

Compare your organization

What does a $X org pay?

Adjust the slider to your organization's revenue. The median Executive Director compensation for food, agriculture & nutrition nonprofits in that revenue band updates live.

Your organization's revenue
~$6M
annual revenue
$0$10M$100M$1B+
Median Executive Director comp · $1M – $10M
$96,383
633 organizations in this band
Percentile range for your band
25th percentile$55,902
50th percentile$96,383
75th percentile$142,647
Questions

{sector} {role} pay, answered

How much does a Food, Agriculture & Nutrition nonprofit Executive Director make?
The median total compensation for a Executive Director at a food, agriculture & nutrition nonprofit is $74,263, based on 1,750 organizations in IRS Form 990 filings. The middle 50% fall between $38,326 and $127,898.
What is the salary range for a Executive Director in Food, Agriculture & Nutrition nonprofits?
Pay ranges from $38,326 at the 25th percentile to $127,898 at the 75th and $209,991 at the 90th. The spread reflects differences in organization size, budget, and region within the sector.
Is this Food, Agriculture & Nutrition compensation data reliable?
Yes. It comes from IRS Form 990 filings, legal documents filed under penalty of perjury, not self-reported surveys. Figures cover 1,750 food, agriculture & nutrition nonprofits reporting a Executive Director.
Why does Food, Agriculture & Nutrition nonprofit Executive Director pay differ from other sectors?
Compensation reflects the typical organization size, revenue, and operating complexity of each sector. Larger, better-funded food, agriculture & nutrition organizations pull the upper percentiles higher, while smaller ones anchor the lower end.