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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 169 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
HISTORIC TRAPPECollegevillePA$657k0
National Center for Childrens Illustrated LiteratAbileneTX$657k1
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA INCOrlandoFL$657k0
GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD PRESERVATION ASSOCIATIONGettysburgPA$657k3
CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICASan FranciscoCA$657k1
WACO CIVIC THEATREWacoTX$657k1
PIEDMONT PLAYERS THEATRE INCSalisburyNC$657k0
TONALITYLos AngelesCA$657k1
WYOMING-KENTWOOD TELEVISIONWyomingMI$657k1
CGN AMERICALos AngelesCA$657k0
Pros for a Purpose IncPlanoTX$657k0
MONTEREY COUNTY YOUTH MUSEUMMontereyCA$656k1
COMEDY GIVES BACKVeniceCA$656k3
COLORADO CHAMBER ORCHESTRAPuebloCO$656k1
BAIS CHANA WOMEN INTERNATIONAL INCBrooklynNY$656k2
FRENCH-AMERICAN CULTURAL FOUNDATIONWashingtonDC$656k1
THE ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETYKenilworthIL$656k0
The Art Theatre of Long BeachLong BeachCA$656k3
THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF FACTUM FOUNDATION INC C/O CARMODY TORRANCENew HavenCT$656k0
TIPPING POINT THEATRE CONorthvilleMI$655k0
GEORGE AND NORA LONDON FOUNDATION FOR SINGERS INCNew YorkNY$655k2
LYNN COMMUNITY TELEVISION INCLynnMA$655k2
CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM OF THE DESERTRancho MirageCA$655k1
Karen Society of Buffalo IncBuffaloNY$655k1
Uptown Jazz Orchestra IncNew OrleansLA$655k0
ACADEMY OF SCIENCE OF ST LOUISSt LouisMO$655k1
HARBOR PLAYHOUSE COMPANY INCCorpus ChristiTX$655k3
VIRGINIA BUSINESS HIGHER EDUCATION COUNCILColonial HeightsVA$655k1
Gemini Series IncSan AntonioTX$654k1
Create Your Dreams IncAtlantaGA$654k1
FOUNDATION FOR FEMALE HEALTH AWARENESS INCCincinnatiOH$654k0
INDIANAPOLIS SHAKESPEARE COMPANY INCIndianapolisIN$654k2
FUNDING ARTS BROWARD INCFort LauderdaleFL$654k0
TRAVERSE CITY FILM FESTIVALTraverse CityMI$654k0
BARRE OPERA HOUSE INCBarreVT$654k3
INSPIRATION SPACE PORTRiceMN$654k0
SOUTH SHORE ART CENTER INCCohassetMA$654k4
PRESENT MUSIC INCMilwaukeeWI$654k1
ALABAMA SPORTS HALL OF FAMEBirminghamAL$654k1
AMERICAN LIGHTHOUSE FOUNDATIONRocklandME$653k2
Phoenix Men's Arts CouncilPhoenixAZ$653k0
UPTOWN TENDERLOIN INCSan FranciscoCA$653k1
RIDGEFIELD WORKSHOP FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INCRidgefieldCT$653k0
ART & DRAMA CENTRE THEATREPlanoTX$653k0
ART HOUSE PRODUCTIONS INCJersey CityNJ$653k2
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BOTANICAL ARTISTS INCBronxNY$653k3
COMMUSICATIONSaint PaulMN$652k1
Baton Rouge Ballet TheatreBaton RougeLA$652k0
THE HARMON MUSEUMLebanonOH$652k1
ARTS CONNECT HOUSTONHoustonTX$652k0