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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 160 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
JAPANESE CULTURAL CENTER OF HAWAIIHonoluluHI$711k1
AMAZING GRACE CONSERVATORY INCPasadenaCA$711k1
HUI O LAKAKekaha KauaiHI$711k1
CALLE 24 LATINO CULTURAL DISTRICTSan FranciscoCA$711k0
SAINT JOSEPHS ARTS FOUNDATIONSan FranciscoCA$711k0
TOPGUN NFWS ASSOCIATIONSan DiegoCA$711k0
AMERICANS FOR MEDICAL PROGRESS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONWashingtonDC$710k2
German-Texan Heritage SocietyAustinTX$710k0
Athens Film Arts Institute Inc DBA CineAthensGA$710k1
California Regional Theater AllianceChicoCA$710k2
SANTA FE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL ENDOWMENT FOUNDATIONSanta FeNM$710k1
LEMAY-DOME PARKING ASSOCIATIONTacomaWA$710k3
THE NOBLE MARITIME COLLECTIONStaten IslandNY$710k1
BERKSHIRE MUSIC SCHOOL INCPittsfieldMA$710k1
BALLET CO-LABORATORYSaint PaulMN$709k2
COLLECTIVE RENAISSANCE GUILDAtlantaGA$709k1
Anthropomorphic Events Incorporated Organization UnitedFall RiverWI$709k0
The Writers RoomNew YorkNY$709k1
ANGKOR DANCE TROUPE INCLowellMA$709k1
Beyond Baroque FoundationVeniceCA$709k1
LABORATORY FOR ICON AND IDIOM INCNew YorkNY$708k0
THE MAVERICK OBSERVERColorado SpringsCO$708k0
FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE OF MARYLAND INCBrooklandvilleMD$708k0
CAFA-THIRD HORIZON INCMiamiFL$708k8
Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation For Arts and CraftsAlta LomaCA$708k2
MI CASA ES PUEBLA INCSan AntonioTX$708k0
THE LITQUAKE FOUNDATIONSan FranciscoCA$708k1
FIESTA OF FIVE FLAGS FOUNDATION INCPensacolaFL$708k0
Alexandria Seaport FoundationAlexandriaVA$708k1
MOORESTOWN THEATER COMPANYMoorestownNJ$708k4
ACT ONEPhoenixAZ$707k1
THE COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL INCCenterbrookCT$707k1
ODYSSEY OPERA OF BOSTON INCMaldenMA$707k1
AMERICAN SEWING GUILD INCHoustonTX$707k0
NEW YORK ARTISTS EQUITY ASSN INCNew YorkNY$707k1
PHIPPS CENTER FOR THE ARTS INCHudsonWI$707k5
ASSOCIATION OF FILM COMMISSIONERS INTERNATIONALBeverly HillsCA$706k3
Beaufort Historical Association IncBeaufortNC$706k0
JUNEAU DANCE THEATRE INCJuneauAK$706k0
Ernest A Finney Jr Cultural Arts CenterColumbiaSC$706k0
Orcas Island Chamber Music FestivalEastsoundWA$706k1
THE VAIL JAZZ FOUNDATION INCVailCO$706k1
STEAMSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICAWarwickRI$706k1
FRIENDS OF AUBURN HEIGHTS INCYorklynDE$706k1
EVANSTON ROUNDTABLE MEDIA NFPEvanstonIL$706k0
Oceanside Community Service Television CorporationOceansideCA$706k1
ARTSTREAM INCSilver SpringMD$705k2
MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER AT 5IVE POINTSClevelandTN$705k1
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS COMMUNITY CREATIVE CENTERFayettevilleAR$705k0
Living Walls The City Speaks IncAtlantaGA$705k2