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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 18 of 819

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
KOHLER TRUST FOR THE ARTS AND EDUCATIONKohlerWI$9.6M0
NATIONAL YIDDISH BOOK CENTER INCAmherstMA$9.6M9
CALVIN SIMMONS THEATREEmeryvilleCA$9.6M0
MADISON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INCMadisonWI$9.6M3
THE LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA INCLouisvilleKY$9.6M5
AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUMNew YorkNY$9.6M3
PLIMOTH PATUXET MUSEUMS INCPlymouthMA$9.6M6
The Army Historical Foundation IncFort BelvoirVA$9.5M6
THE BETTER ANGELS SOCIETY INCWashingtonDC$9.5M3
ALABAMA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVALMontgomeryAL$9.5M3
STEPPING STONES MUSEUM FOR CHILDREN INCNorwalkCT$9.5M6
SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORYSanta BarbaraCA$9.5M7
METAPHYSICAL ARTS FOUNDATIONPortola ValleyCA$9.5M0
THE MARINERS' MUSEUMNewport NewsVA$9.5M3
The National Film Preserve LtdBerkeleyCA$9.5M3
AHA PUNANA LEOHiloHI$9.5M2
THE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INCCarmelIN$9.5M5
THE CHILDRENS MUSEUMBostonMA$9.5M8
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGOLa JollaCA$9.5M7
MOTOWN HISTORICAL MUSUEM INCDetroitMI$9.5M0
MAGAZZINO ITALIAN ART FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$9.4M0
BUILDING BRIDGES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONWashingtonDC$9.4M2
NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA INCSpringfieldMA$9.4M6
ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH & ENLIGHTENMENT INCVirginia BeachVA$9.4M7
Edmundson Art Foundation IncDes MoinesIA$9.4M4
BLUE LAKE FINE ARTS CAMPTwin LakeMI$9.4M3
OPERA PHILADELPHIAPhiladelphiaPA$9.4M8
ZACHARY SCOTT THEATRE CENTERAustinTX$9.3M3
BAYORGSan FranciscoCA$9.3M6
PINELAND FARMS INCNew GloucesterME$9.3M5
MUSIC HALL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTSDetroitMI$9.3M1
MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WESTSanta BarbaraCA$9.3M12
THE RICHMOND SYMPHONYRichmondVA$9.3M4
ESPLANADE ASSOCIATION INCBostonMA$9.3M0
Trinity Repertory CompanyProvidenceRI$9.3M4
THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF DENVER INCDenverCO$9.3M7
THE CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY INCNewtonMA$9.2M1
SOUTH SHORE PLAYHOUSE ASSOCIATES INCCohassetMA$9.2M1
Alabama Education Television Foundation AuthorityBirminghamAL$9.2M2
MCCARTER THEATRE COMPANYPrincetonNJ$9.2M8
DAYTON HISTORYDaytonOH$9.2M1
Dayton Performing Arts AllianceDaytonOH$9.2M4
NEW YORK THEATRE WORKSHOP INCNew YorkNY$9.2M5
FULTON THEATRE COMPANYLancasterPA$9.2M3
FIRST PEOPLES FUNDRapid CitySD$9.2M7
POSTER HOUSE INCNew YorkNY$9.1M1
ORANGE COUNTY MUSEUM OF ARTCosta MesaCA$9.1M7
NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUMWashingtonDC$9.1M5
NATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE NM INCSanta FeNM$9.1M5
OMAHA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATIONOmahaNE$9M3