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Updated through 2024NTEE A · Arts, Culture & Humanities

Arts, Culture & Humanities nonprofitexecutive pay

Median top-executive pay across 17,106 arts, culture & humanities nonprofits, 2019 – 2024. Each organization is counted once at its most recent filing, using the highest-paid leader reported on IRS Form 990, Schedule J.

Organizations that promote the arts, culture, and the humanities, including performing and visual arts, museums, historical societies, and humanities programs.

Median executive pay
$58,760
The typical arts, culture & humanities nonprofit's highest-paid executive earns $58,760 in total reported compensation.
25th pct
$23k
75th pct
$106k
90th pct
$191k
17,106 organizations · 2019 – 2024
Percentile distribution

Where the middle 50% lands.

Half earn between $23k and $106k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $191k, roughly 3.2 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.

PercentileTotal compMeans
90th$190,896Top 10% of earners
75th$105,94425% earn more than this
50th · median$58,760The typical executive
25th$22,69025% earn less than this
10th$7,10010% of executives earn less than this
By organization size

Bigger budgets, bigger paychecks.

Median executive pay rises with organization revenue. Each band shows the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of top-executive pay for arts, culture & humanities nonprofits in that revenue range.

Revenue band25thMedian75thOrgs
Under $1M$14k$37,456$67k11,916
$1M – $10M$87k$125,000$180k4,363
$10M – $100M$240k$342,226$522k774
$100M – $500M$569k$823,592$1.4M49
Revenue bands with fewer than 5 organizations are not shown.
Geography

Pay varies by state.

District of Columbia pays $59,352 more than the national median across arts, culture & humanities nonprofits.

By role

Benchmark a specific Arts, Culture & Humanities role

Drill into median pay for individual leadership roles within arts, culture & humanities nonprofits.

Board & trustee pay

Arts, Culture & Humanities board & trustee pay norms

9% of arts, culture & humanities nonprofits pay at least one board member or trustee, with a typical per-person payment of $16,516 across a median board of 4 paid members.

Organizations paying board members
9%
Median board pay
$16,516
Median paid board size
4
By filing type
Form 990: 10%
Form 990-EZ: 7%
Form 990-PF: 9%
Directory

Museums, performing arts organizations, historical societies, media outlets, and other nonprofits focused on arts, culture, and the humanities. Includes visual arts, music, theater, film, and cultural preservation. There are 43,040 arts, culture & humanities organizations in our database with compensation data from IRS Form 990 filings. Use the table below to browse them, or sort by revenue, location, or number of reported executives.

Organizations in Arts, Culture & Humanities

43,040 organizations · Page 102 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
NATIONAL CIVIL WAR MUSEUMHarrisburgPA$1.3M1
CHAMBERS COUNTY CHILDRENS MUSEUMMont BelvieuTX$1.3M2
KAHULI LEO LEAKaneoheHI$1.3M1
PHILADELPHIA FOLKSONG SOCIETY INCPhiladelphiaPA$1.3M0
CONCERT ASSOCIATION OF FLORIDA INCNaplesFL$1.3M0
SHREVEPORT SYMPHONY INCShreveportLA$1.3M0
SAN JUAN COUNTY MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONFarmingtonNM$1.3M0
EMBARCADERO MEDIA FOUNDATIONPalo AltoCA$1.3M0
INTERNATIONAL MUSIC CAMPMinotND$1.3M2
NORTH END MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS CENTERBostonMA$1.3M0
O MIAMI INCMiamiFL$1.3M2
NATIVE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INCBismarckND$1.3M0
MILITARY HERITAGE FOUNDATIONCarlislePA$1.3M2
ROCK AND SOUL FOREVER FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$1.3M2
STUDENT PUBLICATIONS INCIowa CityIA$1.3M1
Central Arts AlliancePhoenixAZ$1.3M1
PEACE & JUSTICE ACTION LEAGUE OF SPOKANESpokaneWA$1.3M1
BRINK LITERACY PROJECTElbertCO$1.3M2
CAVOD PERFORMING ARTSNew HollandPA$1.3M3
Canyon Concert BalletFort CollinsCO$1.3M1
INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRELong BeachCA$1.3M1
PORTSMOUTH MUSIC & ARTS CENTER INCPortsmouthNH$1.3M0
LIBERTY RESTORATION INCAstoriaOR$1.3M1
CULTURAL CENTER OF CAPE CODSouth YarmouthMA$1.3M0
JUNCTION CITY OPERA HOUSE INCJunction CityKS$1.3M2
CARMEL MISSION FOUNDATION INCCarmelCA$1.3M0
BILLIE HOLIDAY THEATRE INCBrooklynNY$1.3M0
Mystic Museum of Art IncMysticCT$1.3M1
Chicago West Community Music CenterChicagoIL$1.3M2
CLOCKSHOPLos AngelesCA$1.3M0
RIVER PLACEWarroadMN$1.3M2
SANTA BARBARA HISTORICAL MUSEUMSanta BarbaraCA$1.3M1
GREEN FEATHER FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$1.3M1
PEORIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAPeoriaIL$1.3M1
SALINA BASEBALL ENTERPRISES INCSalinaKS$1.3M0
STIEFEL THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATIONSalinaKS$1.3M1
MADISON BALLET INCMadisonWI$1.3M1
Clifton Cultural Arts CenterCincinnatiOH$1.3M1
PALACE CULTURAL ARTS ASSOCIATIONMarionOH$1.3M2
NOTES IN MOTION INCNew YorkNY$1.3M1
COMMUNITY MEDIA CENTER OF CARROLL COUNTY INCWestminsterMD$1.3M1
ST LOUIS DANCE THEATRESt LouisMO$1.3M2
PRISON JOURNALISM PROJECT INCChicagoIL$1.3M3
ALASKA CHILDRENS INSTITUTE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INCKenaiAK$1.3M1
INDIANAPOLIS FILM PROJECT INCIndianapolisIN$1.3M1
SOUTH CAROLINA HUMANITIES COUNCIL INCColumbiaSC$1.3M1
Steubenville Historic Landmarks FoundationSteubenvilleOH$1.3M0
THE THEATRICAL OUTFIT INCAtlantaGA$1.3M1
PHOENIX CONSERVATORY OF MUSICPhoenixAZ$1.3M1
BLACK FRET DBA SONIC GUILDAustinTX$1.3M3