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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 131 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN PUBLIC BROADCAST HOUSEColorado SpringsCO$943k1
PEOPLES' SYMPHONY CONCERTSNew YorkNY$943k0
EASTERN WOODLAND LACROSSMebaneNC$943k1
BETHANY ARTS COMMUNITY INCOssiningNY$943k0
MUNCIE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INCMuncieIN$943k0
SALINA EDUCATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM OF AMERICA INCSalinaKS$943k1
BATON ROUGE LITTLE THEATER INCBaton RougeLA$942k0
PIECE BY PIECELos AngelesCA$942k1
ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL IN THE NATION'S CAPITALWashingtonDC$942k2
RIVERDALE CHILDREN'S THEATRE INCBronxNY$942k2
LIVING ARTSDetroitMI$942k1
TAOS SCHOOL OF MUSIC INCTaosNM$941k0
THE CONCORD INDEPENDENT FOUNDATION INCConcordMA$941k1
OUTPOST PRODUCTIONS INCAlbuquerqueNM$941k1
WESTERN RESERVE CABLE TELEVISION CONSORTIUM INCMacedoniaOH$941k1
EDISON INNOVATION FOUNDATIONNewarkNJ$940k4
WILMINGTON DRAMA LEAGUEWilmingtonDE$940k0
Dance Educators of America IncBoynton BeachFL$940k1
HISTORIC HIGHFIELD INCFalmouthMA$940k2
Columbia County Historical Society IncKinderhookNY$940k1
Monacan Nation Cultural Foundation IncMadison HeightsVA$940k4
FIVE POINTS MUSIC FOUNDATIONRoanokeVA$940k2
POLK THEATRE INCLakelandFL$940k1
IMAGINE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTERPortervilleCA$939k0
WAVE FARM INCAcraNY$939k0
JOURNALISM EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONManhattanKS$939k1
SACRAMENTO PHILHARMONIC & OPERA FOUNDATIONSacramentoCA$939k0
HARMONIC MUSIC FOUNDATIONWashingtonDC$939k2
PUPPET SHOWPLACE INCBrooklineMA$939k1
Genesee-Orleanse Regional Arts CouncilBataviaNY$938k1
PARIS GIBSON SQUARE INCGreat FallsMT$938k1
ARTS COUNCIL OF BRAZOS VALLEYCollege StationTX$938k0
The William Rockhill Nelson TrustKansas CityMO$938k1
ARTS IMPACTTacomaWA$937k2
INDUSTRY ONEPortlandOR$937k0
BALBOA ISLAND MUSEUM NEWPORT BEACHBalboa IslandCA$936k0
THE ART GARAGEDenverCO$936k1
The Encore Musical Theatre CompanyDexterMI$936k0
SANTA FE PLAYHOUSESanta FeNM$936k2
ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY THEATRE INCAshevilleNC$936k0
PORTLAND STREET ART ALLIANCEPortlandOR$935k5
ALABAMA VALUESMontgomeryAL$935k0
RUTLAND REGION COMMUNITY TELEVISION % THOMAS LEYPOLDTRutlandVT$935k1
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BALLET INCSan DiegoCA$935k0
BLOOD & MARROW TRANSPLANT INFORMATION NETWORKHighland ParkIL$935k1
COMMUNITY TELEVISION OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTYSanta CruzCA$934k1
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS INCNew YorkNY$934k2
THE SHIPIBO-CONIBO CENTER INCNew YorkNY$934k1
LNIRapid CitySD$934k11
LUPA GAME FARM INCLudlowMA$934k0