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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 104 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
LEHIGH COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYAllentownPA$1.3M2
GERMANIA SOCIETYCincinnatiOH$1.3M1
FOUR MOUNDS FOUNDATIONDubuqueIA$1.3M1
ASPIRE HIGHER FOUNDATION INCIndianapolisIN$1.3M0
Western Alliance of Arts Administrators FoundationPortlandOR$1.3M1
AUTOMOTIVE HALL OF FAME INCDearbornMI$1.3M2
WELLESLEY THEATRE PROJECT INCWellesleyMA$1.3M2
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSFORMATIONGranite FallsMN$1.3M7
THE HASTY PUDDING - INSTITUTE OF 1770 INCCambridgeMA$1.3M1
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF VETERANS' RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FOUNDATIONSWashingtonDC$1.3M2
10 TALENTSWoodinvilleWA$1.3M1
Birder Studio Of Performing Arts IncDe PereWI$1.3M2
SOJOURN TO THE PASTMillbraeCA$1.3M1
Calpulli Mexican Dance Company IncEast ElmhurstNY$1.3M3
FRIENDS OF VILLA AURORA & THOMAS MANN HOUSE INCPacific PalisadesCA$1.3M0
WATERWELL PRODUCTIONS INCNew YorkNY$1.3M1
FUSION COMP CREWHarrisburgNC$1.3M1
TIFFIN THEATRE INCTiffinOH$1.3M0
Community Gallery IncLebanonNH$1.3M1
HISTORIC HAWAI'I FOUNDATIONHonoluluHI$1.3M1
STARK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYCantonOH$1.3M1
Actors Express IncAtlantaGA$1.3M0
QCC The Center for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Art & CultureSan FranciscoCA$1.3M1
THE THEATRE AT BOSTON COURTPasadenaCA$1.3M2
MUSEUM OF INNOVATION AND SCIENCESchenectadyNY$1.3M1
National Museum of Funeral HistoryHoustonTX$1.3M2
ARTOPOLIS DEVELOPMENTBrooklynNY$1.3M2
SUNSET PLAYHOUSE INCElm GroveWI$1.3M0
ALGEMEINER INCNew YorkNY$1.3M0
MILL MOUNTAIN PLAYHOUSE CO INC DBA MILL MOUNTAIN THEATRERoanokeVA$1.3M2
Long Center IncLafayetteIN$1.3M1
NAPA VALLEY PRESENTSNapaCA$1.3M0
THE MOVING COMPANY DANCE CENTERKeeneNH$1.3M1
Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation IncLeadvilleCO$1.3M1
THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF ROCHESTER INCRochesterMN$1.3M1
GRSP FOUNDATION INCValdostaGA$1.3M0
THE CHANCE THEATERAnaheimCA$1.3M2
THE BOSTON LANDMARKS ORCHESTRA INCSomervilleMA$1.3M2
BENTONVILLE CHRISTIAN ACADEMYBentonvilleAR$1.3M2
KRASL ART CENTER INCSt JosephMI$1.3M1
Carmel Art AssociationCarmelCA$1.3M0
SOLON CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND PUBLISHINGSolonME$1.3M4
PATRONS OF THE ARTS IN THE VATICAN MUSEUM OF OHIO INCClevelandOH$1.3M0
UKRAINIAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICA INCNew YorkNY$1.3M1
WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING FOUNDACharlestonWV$1.3M0
HOLLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAHollandMI$1.3M2
ECONOMIC FUNDAMENTALS INITIATIVE INCNewarkNJ$1.3M1
EPIC THEATRE CENTER INCAstoriaNY$1.3M3
Lamar Community Betterment Council IncLamarMO$1.3M0
EAST TEXAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION INCTylerTX$1.3M0