Skip to main content
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 109 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
TYBEE ISLAND MARINE SCIENCE FOUNDATION INCTybee IslandGA$1.2M1
CONTEMPORARY ART FOR SAN ANTONIOSan AntonioTX$1.2M2
AGITARTE INCCambridgeMA$1.2M1
RIVERSTYX FOUNDATIONSanta RosaCA$1.2M0
KANSAS CITY YOUNG AUDIENCES INCKansas CityMO$1.2M2
VASHON ALLIED ARTSVashonWA$1.2M0
North Carolina Music Educators AssociationRaleighNC$1.2M1
PUBLIC MEDIA NETWORKKalamazooMI$1.2M1
ROTCH-JONES-DUFF HOUSE AND GARDEN MUSEUM INCNew BedfordMA$1.2M0
SAN LUIS OBISPO SYMPHONY INCSan Luis ObispoCA$1.2M4
Austin Skyline FoundationRound RockTX$1.2M0
OAHU HAWAIIAN CANOE RACING ASSOCIATION HAWAIIHonoluluHI$1.2M0
THE PHILADELPHIA CITIZENPhiladelphiaPA$1.2M3
DAVIS ARTS COUNCILLaytonUT$1.2M2
INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE FOUNDATION INCBrooklynNY$1.2M7
ATLED INCArverneNY$1.2M0
Class Act Community PlayhouseChatsworthCA$1.2M1
UTICA CHILDREN'S MUSEUMUticaNY$1.2M0
FORT GREENE PARK CONSERVANCY INCBrooklynNY$1.2M1
CHARM CITY CULTURAL CULTIVATION INCScarsdaleNY$1.2M1
NEBRASKA HOUSING RESOURCELincolnNE$1.2M2
THE CHURCH STUDIO MUSIC FOUNDATIONTulsaOK$1.2M1
NORTH CAROLINA FOLK FESTIVALGreensboroNC$1.2M1
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center FoundationColorado SpringsCO$1.2M1
WALKING IRIS MEDIASan FranciscoCA$1.2M1
NANCY LEE AND PERRY R BASS PERFORMANCE HALL ENDOWMENT TRUSTFort WorthTX$1.2M0
NAPO INCMinneapolisMN$1.2M0
THE POWERHOUSEDurangoCO$1.2M1
LANG LANG INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FOUNDATION INCCliffside ParkNJ$1.2M1
NORTHWEST FLORIDA BALLET INCFort Walton BeachFL$1.2M2
WOODLAWN CONSERVANCY INCBronxNY$1.2M4
EISENHOWER DANCE ENSEMBLE INCBloomfield HillsMI$1.2M1
THE NATIONAL HELLENIC SOCIETY INCAnnandaleVA$1.2M1
RIVERVIEWSLynchburgVA$1.2M0
ARTIS CONTEMPORARY ISRAELI ART FUNDINCNew YorkNY$1.2M1
ZIEGFELD THEATER ARTSOgdenUT$1.2M3
The Museum at Bethel WoodsLibertyNY$1.2M3
Illinois Philharmonic OrchestraPark ForestIL$1.2M1
JON SCHUELER FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$1.2M1
SAN JOSE FIRE MUSEUMSan JoseCA$1.2M0
ETHEL M VAN DERLIP TR UWMilwaukeeWI$1.2M1
HISTORIC HOUSTONHoustonTX$1.2M1
San Diego Film FoundationDel MarCA$1.2M1
WEATHERVANE COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSEAkronOH$1.2M2
Federal City Performing Arts AssociationWashingtonDC$1.2M2
HEALDSBURG JAZZ FESTIVAL INCHealdsburgCA$1.2M2
BELOVED IN CHRIST GALLERYMarble FallsTX$1.2M0
MOUNTAIN PLAY ASSOCIATIONSan RafaelCA$1.2M0
CHARLEVOIX CIRCLE OF ARTSCharlevoixMI$1.2M0
BALLET VIRGINIANorfolkVA$1.2M2