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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 14 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Fernbank IncAtlantaGA$13.4M8
HERITAGE MUSEUMS AND GARDENS INCSandwichMA$13.4M4
Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana IncIndianapolisIN$13.4M3
MACPHAIL CENTER FOR MUSICMinneapolisMN$13.4M7
PIONEER WORKS ART FOUNDATIONBrooklynNY$13.4M6
Music For All IncIndianapolisIN$13.4M5
CHICAGO HISTORICAL SOCIETYChicagoIL$13.4M6
Pearl Arts IncFort WayneIN$13.3M1
BRIC ARTS MEDIA BKLYN INCBrooklynNY$13.3M9
FRENCH INSTITUTE - ALLIANCE FRANCAISENew YorkNY$13.3M9
KUALI'I FOUNDATIONHonoluluHI$13.3M0
CICERO RESEARCHAustinTX$13.3M8
OGUNQUIT PLAYHOUSE FOUNDATIONOgunquitME$13.3M3
WXXI PUBLIC BROADCASTING COUNCILRochesterNY$13.3M6
DRUM CORPS INTERNATIONAL INCIndianapolisIN$13.3M4
NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAMESpringfieldMA$13.3M8
Calvin Simmons TheatreEmeryvilleCA$13.3M0
COMMUNITY MUSICWORKSProvidenceRI$13.3M2
NEBRASKA PUBLIC MEDIA FOUNDATION INCLincolnNE$13.3M5
NAPA VALLEY FESTIVAL ASSOCIATIONWalnut CreekCA$13.3M5
WQED MULTIMEDIAPittsburghPA$13.2M6
DENVER FILM SOCIETYDenverCO$13.2M2
THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRASt PetersburgFL$13.1M5
CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATERChicagoIL$13.1M12
GRANT PARK ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATIONChicagoIL$13.1M5
JOHN L SEVERANCEBrooklynOH$13M1
THE CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY INCNewtonMA$13M1
WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO ASSOCIATION INCMadisonWI$13M0
ILLUMINATE THE ARTSSan FranciscoCA$13M2
SCIENCE MUSEUM OKLAHOMA INCOklahoma CityOK$13M6
MARYLAND ACADEMY OF SCIENCESBaltimoreMD$12.9M6
NORTON SIMON MUSEUM OF ART AT PASADENAPasadenaCA$12.9M6
LOUISVILLE THEATRICAL ASSOCIATION INCLouisvilleKY$12.9M0
CENTER FOR BLACK EDUCATOR DEVELOPMENTPhiladelphiaPA$12.8M2
PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE INCPittsburghPA$12.8M5
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FOUNDATION INCLos AngelesCA$12.8M5
MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATIONRahwayNJ$12.8M7
ARRAY ALLIANCE INCEncinoCA$12.8M5
SANFORD LABORATORIES FOR INNOVATIVE MEDICINESSan DiegoCA$12.8M7
GERMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEW YORKWhite PlainsNY$12.7M4
HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTONHoustonTX$12.7M5
FORGE PROJECT ASSOCIATIONAncramNY$12.7M1
MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORKNew YorkNY$12.7M10
BIG THOUGHTDallasTX$12.7M5
Anchorage Museum AssociationAnchorageAK$12.7M7
THE CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSEClevelandOH$12.6M3
ADMIRAL NIMITZ FOUNDATIONFredericksburgTX$12.6M3
The Cincinnati Ballet Company IncCincinnatiOH$12.6M6
THE ONE CLUB FOR CREATIVITY INCNew YorkNY$12.6M9
BRAVO COLORADO AT BEAVER CREEK-VAIL INC DBA BRAVO VAIL VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVALVailCO$12.6M8