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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 118 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
FRESH ARTISTSLafayette HillPA$1.1M2
MUSIC CITY YOUTH IN THE ARTS INCNashvilleTN$1.1M0
THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM & EDUCATION CENTER OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INCNaplesFL$1.1M1
CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY FESTIVALOxnardCA$1.1M0
LEONIS ADOBE ASSOCIATIONCalabasasCA$1.1M1
PEABODY ACCESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS INCPeabodyMA$1.1M1
OZ MUSEUM - COLUMBIAN THEATRE FOUNDATION INCWamegoKS$1.1M0
SOUTH BEND MUSEUM OF ARTSouth BendIN$1.1M1
LARK MUSICAL SOCIETY INCGlendaleCA$1.1M2
HEART OF AMERICA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVALKansas CityMO$1.1M1
THE CLASSIC CENTER CULTURAL FOUNDATIONAthensGA$1.1M0
LUFKIN EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING FOUNDATIONLufkinTX$1.1M1
ARTS IGNITE INCNew YorkNY$1.1M3
42ND STREET MOONSan FranciscoCA$1.1M1
NOT AN ALTERNATIVE INCBlauveltNY$1.1M2
UTAH COALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULTSalt Lake CityUT$1.1M1
ALLAIRE VILLAGE INCFarmingdaleNJ$1.1M2
WORLD MEDIA FOUNDATION INCBostonMA$1.1M1
ARTS CONNECT INTERNATIONAL INCBostonMA$1.1M6
OPENHOUSENEWYORK INCNew YorkNY$1.1M1
MIDLAND-ODESSA SYMPHONY & CHORALE INC DBA WEST TEXAS SYMPHONYMidlandTX$1.1M1
Arts Council Wichita Falls Area IncWichita FallsTX$1.1M1
POCOSIN ARTS INCColumbiaNC$1.1M1
Synetic Theater IncArlingtonVA$1.1M1
THE GOOD INFORMATION FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$1.1M0
Fort Pembina Historical SocietyPembinaND$1.1M0
THE WALLACE CENTERS OF IOWADes MoinesIA$1.1M0
MUDDY WATERS MOJO MUSEUMChicagoIL$1.1M0
NORTHWEST FILM FORUMSeattleWA$1.1M0
SANDUSKY ARTISANS COOPERATIVESanduskyOH$1.1M2
VERO BEACH OPERA INCVero BeachFL$1.1M2
El Espacio 23 IncMiamiFL$1.1M0
THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK FOUNDATION INCCarmelIN$1.1M3
CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS INCORPORATED 1974New YorkNY$1.1M0
JEANNE B MCCOY COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS CORPORATIONColumbusOH$1.1M0
FREEPORT ARTS CENTERFreeportIL$1.1M1
Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free LibraMontrosePA$1.1M1
FOUNDATION FOR INDEPENDENT MUSIC INCNew YorkNY$1.1M0
HISTORIC WEST BEND THEATRE INCWest BendWI$1.1M1
PRESBYTERIAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSICIANSLouisvilleKY$1.1M1
YESTERDAY'S ARTIFACTS INCHosfordFL$1.1M0
NEXT ACT THEATRE INCMilwaukeeWI$1.1M0
HIP-HOP THEATER FESTIVAL INC DBA Hi-ARTSNew YorkNY$1.1M1
SCHENECTADY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYSchenectadyNY$1.1M0
MILWAUKEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCMilwaukeeWI$1.1M1
THE PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH SOCIETYLos AngelesCA$1.1M0
Colonel Museum IncGalvestonTX$1.1M4
FIRST PERSON ARTS INCPhiladelphiaPA$1.1M1
ARTSPACE INCRaleighNC$1.1M1
CHICAGO A CAPPELLAChicagoIL$1.1M1