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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 174 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
CLEVELAND PRINT ROOM INCClevelandOH$629k2
HEARTLAND PERFORMING ARTS INCBerwynIL$629k0
Portland School of BalletPortlandME$629k1
Marigny Opera House FoundationNew OrleansLA$629k2
LIME KILN ARTS INCLexingtonVA$629k1
Leap to SuccessCarlsbadCA$629k1
MUAE PUBLISHING INCLos AngelesCA$629k0
ST JOSEPH TODAY ASSOCIATIONSt JosephMI$629k1
NORTHVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCNorthvilleMI$628k1
Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre IncMoscowID$628k3
THE DURHAM JAZZ WORKSHOPDurhamNC$628k2
MARILYN RODMAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INCFoxboroughMA$628k1
THE ERIE CANAL MUSEUMSyracuseNY$628k0
CONNECTICUT ELECTRIC RAILWAY ASSOCIATION INCORPORATEDEast WindsorCT$628k0
DEAF WEST THEATRE COMPANY INC C/O AMY MICHNERStudio CityCA$628k1
SHAKERTOWN REVISITED INCAuburnKY$628k0
THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA IN THEJacksonvilleFL$628k0
EDWARDSVILLE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INCEdwardsvilleIL$628k1
Rhythmix Cultural WorksAlamedaCA$628k2
CENTRAL FLORIDA VOCAL ARTSWinter ParkFL$628k0
COMMUNITY CIRCLE THEATREGrand RapidsMI$628k0
MONUMENT OF THE AMERICAS INCHeber CityUT$627k0
ASHEVILLE WATCHDOGAshevilleNC$627k0
SHAKESPEARE'S ASSOCIATES INCLivermoreCA$627k1
GERMAN AMERICAN COMMITTEE OF GREATER NY CO AHMUTY DEMERS&MCMANUS MICHAEL RABUSNew YorkNY$627k0
CORO DE NINOS DE SAN JUANSan JuanPR$627k1
WHYARTS INCOmahaNE$627k0
SAN FRANCISCO SPECIAL EVENTS COMMITTEESan FranciscoCA$627k0
D C ARTS AND HUMANITIES EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE INCWashingtonDC$627k1
LIBERTY CENTER ASSOCIATION FOR THE ARTS INCSedaliaMO$627k0
TOSCO MUSIC PARTIES INCCharlotteNC$627k1
GROW SMART RHODE ISLANDProvidenceRI$627k1
MANSFIELD CABLE ACCESS CORPORATIONMansfieldMA$626k3
The Free History Project IncSan FranciscoCA$626k1
The Chicago Mosaic SchoolChicagoIL$626k1
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF FOND DU LAC INCFond Du LacWI$626k1
ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM SOCIETYSpringfieldIL$626k1
ATHENS AREA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTSAthensTN$626k1
Orchestra NoirLilburnGA$626k0
Columbia Choirs AssociationRedmondWA$626k1
FAIRBANKS CONCERT ASSOCIATIONFairbanksAK$626k1
DULUTH ART INSTITUTE ASSOCDuluthMN$626k1
Maryland Citizens for the Arts IncBaltimoreMD$625k1
Motion Media Arts CenterAustinTX$625k1
FILM FESTIVAL ALLIANCEWashingtonDC$625k1
CLASSICS FOR KIDS INCSan DiegoCA$625k1
SPOKANE VALLEY SUMMER THEATRESpokane ValleyWA$625k1
Ajkun Ballet Theatre IncBronxNY$625k0
CURTIS COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL INCCurtisMI$625k0
THE BEN INITIATIVEGallupNM$625k0