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Updated through 2024NTEE A · Arts, Culture & Humanities

Arts, Culture & Humanities nonprofitexecutive pay

Median top-executive pay across 16,157 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
$59,800
The typical arts, culture & humanities nonprofit's highest-paid executive earns $59,800 in total reported compensation.
25th pct
$24k
75th pct
$107k
90th pct
$194k
16,157 organizations · 2019 – 2024
Percentile distribution

Where the middle 50% lands.

Half earn between $24k and $107k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $194k, roughly 3.2 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.

PercentileTotal compMeans
90th$193,685Top 10% of earners
75th$107,34225% earn more than this
50th · median$59,800The typical executive
25th$23,76025% earn less than this
10th$7,50010% 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$15k$38,108$67k11,178
$1M – $10M$87k$125,336$180k4,194
$10M – $100M$242k$341,128$522k736
$100M – $500M$562k$771,220$1.3M45
Revenue bands with fewer than 5 organizations are not shown.
By role

Benchmark a specific Arts, Culture & Humanities role

Drill into median pay for individual leadership roles within arts, culture & humanities nonprofits.

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 40,937 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

40,937 organizations · Page 16 of 819

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
SAN ANTONIO AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY ARCHIVE AND MUSEUMSan AntonioTX$11.2M0
INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUMCharlestonSC$11.2M7
THE 19TH NEWSAustinTX$11.2M14
MARTY STUART CENTER FOR COUNTRY MUSIC INCPhiladelphiaMS$11.1M0
GREATER AUSTIN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INCAustinTX$11.1M4
AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUELos AngelesCA$11.1M1
NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ARTNew OrleansLA$11.1M5
ARTS AND HUMANITIES COUNCIL OF MONTGOMERY COUNTYSilver SpringMD$11.1M1
BIG THOUGHTDallasTX$11M9
COMMONWEALTH FUND FOR KET INCLexingtonKY$11M2
Alaska Native Heritage Center IncAnchorageAK$11M3
DEMOCRACY NOW PRODUCTIONS INCNew YorkNY$10.9M7
THE LAKE PLACID ASSOCIATION FOR MUSIC DRAMA AND ART INCLake PlacidNY$10.9M1
MIDLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS INCMidlandMI$10.9M5
Bexar-Bulverde Volunteer Fire DepartmentSan AntonioTX$10.9M1
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMSArlingtonVA$10.9M10
GEORGIA O'KEEFFE MUSEUMSanta FeNM$10.9M8
INDEPENDENCE PUBLIC MEDIA OF PHILADELPHIA INCPhiladelphiaPA$10.9M2
TROUT MUSEUM OF ART INCAppletonWI$10.9M1
Contemporary Arts Foundation IncMiami BeachFL$10.9M2
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICNashvilleTN$10.9M8
BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE THEATER INCNew HopePA$10.8M2
CONNECTICUT SCIENCE CENTER INCHartfordCT$10.8M4
ELAINE KAUFMAN CULTURAL CENTER LUCY MOSES SCHOOL FOR MUSIC AND DANCENew YorkNY$10.8M8
Tacoma Arts LiveTacomaWA$10.8M4
COLUMBIA RIVER MARITIME MUSEUMAstoriaOR$10.8M3
RADIO KINGSTON CORPKingstonNY$10.7M1
United States Artists IncChicagoIL$10.7M4
STERLING AND FRANCINE CLARK ART INSTITUTEWilliamstownMA$10.7M10
PUBLIC MEDIA NJ INCNew YorkNY$10.7M10
THE HEARD MUSEUMPhoenixAZ$10.7M5
MIAMI CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC FKA MIAMI YOUTH MUSEUMMiamiFL$10.7M4
Fountainhead Museum FoundationFairbanksAK$10.6M0
GREEKTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIPDetroitMI$10.6M1
BOSTON LYRIC OPERA COMPANYBostonMA$10.6M3
PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS INCNew YorkNY$10.6M7
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra SocietySt PaulMN$10.5M12
LOWER EAST SIDE TENEMENT MUSEUMNew YorkNY$10.5M6
OREGON BALLET THEATREPortlandOR$10.5M3
MUSIC CENTER FOUNDATIONLos AngelesCA$10.5M1
PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE INCPittsburghPA$10.5M4
WORCESTER NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY INCWorcesterMA$10.5M2
SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ARTSan DiegoCA$10.5M6
Cincinnati Public Radio IncCincinnatiOH$10.4M6
THE NATURAL SCIENCE CENTER OF GREENSBORO INC DBA GREENSBORO SCIENCE CENTERGreensboroNC$10.4M2
BALLET AUSTIN INCORPORATEDAustinTX$10.4M2
HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETYBostonMA$10.4M7
WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS SOCIETYWashingtonDC$10.4M6
EDWARD ALBEE FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$10.4M2
PHOENIX ART MUSEUMPhoenixAZ$10.3M8