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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 135 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY FOUNDATIONKnoxvilleTN$904k0
JEKYLL ISLAND FOUNDATION INCJekyll IslandGA$904k1
SOUTH SHORE ARTS INCMunsterIN$904k1
THE BROOM FAMILY FOUNDATION co Broom Resource Investments LLCNew LondonNH$904k1
CINEMA ST LOUISSt LouisMO$903k1
CREATE IN CHINATOWN INCNew YorkNY$903k1
SOCIAL VENTURE CIRCLECanaanCT$903k1
INUIT CIRCUMPOLAR COUNCIL-ALASKAAnchorageAK$903k4
EXPRESSIONS LEARNING ARTS ACADEMY INCGainesvilleFL$903k0
MILLERTON COMMUNITY CINEMA INCMillertonNY$903k0
HOLUALOA FOUNDATION FOR ARTS & CULTUREHolualoaHI$902k1
FRANCONIA SCULPTURE PARKShaferMN$902k1
BRENTON ARBORETUM INCDallas CenterIA$902k0
NEVADA COUNTY CULTURAL PRESERVATION TRUSTNevada CityCA$901k1
History Museum on the Square IncSpringfieldMO$901k2
THE TOBIN THEATRE ARTS FUNDSan AntonioTX$901k3
SO PERCUSSION INCBrooklynNY$901k1
COLUMBUS PRO MUSICA INC DBA COLUMBUS INDIANA PHILHARMONICColumbusIN$900k0
GADSDEN ARTS INCQuincyFL$900k1
Myrtle Indemnity IncNew BritainCT$900k4
Northern California World Trade CenterSacramentoCA$900k1
SUZUKI ORFF SCHOOL FOR YOUNG MUSICIANSChicagoIL$900k1
HISTORIC ALBANY FOUNDATION INCAlbanyNY$900k0
TELLURIDE SOCIETY FOR JAZZTellurideCO$900k0
PS RESORTSPalm SpringsCA$899k0
DANCEFX INCAthensGA$899k3
Christian Youth Theatre HoustonSpringTX$899k1
Winnsboro Center for the ArtsWinnsboroTX$899k0
EUROPEAN CULTURAL CENTRE - USA INCBrooklynNY$899k0
RACINE THEATRE GUILD INCRacineWI$899k2
SUMMER STOCK STAGE INCIndianapolisIN$898k0
MICHIGAN IRISH MUSIC FESTIVALMuskegonMI$898k0
SEARCHLIGHT NEW MEXICO NEWSSanta FeNM$898k2
VISUAL AIDS FOR THE ARTS INCNew YorkNY$898k1
WESTRICK MUSIC ACADEMY INCPrinceton JctNJ$898k1
FARMERS BRANCH COMMUNITY THEATRE INCFarmers BranchTX$898k1
YLC BALLET WESTSIDE BALLET OF SANTA MONICASanta MonicaCA$898k0
Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra IncBakersfieldCA$898k2
THEATRE YChicagoIL$898k1
SAN CARLOS CHILDRENS THEATERSan CarlosCA$897k0
StoryCenterBerkeleyCA$897k3
The Epoch Times NorthwestSanta ClaraCA$897k3
LUCID ART FOUNDATIONInvernessCA$897k1
COOL SPRING DOWNTOWN DISTRICT INCFayettevilleNC$897k0
Maine Academy of Modern MusicPortlandME$896k1
CAVALLA HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONGalvestonTX$896k0
Southern ExposureSan FranciscoCA$896k2
PIEDMONT COUNCIL OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC INCRaleighNC$896k1
SOMERVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETYSomervilleMA$896k0
Friends of the Jerusalem Youth ChorusWashingtonDC$896k0