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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 189 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
The Alliance For Media Arts Culture IncSpokaneWA$558k1
LIGHT THE HOAN INCMilwaukeeWI$558k1
SYMPHONY MANAGEMENT INCWichitaKS$558k0
NECHES RIVER FESTIVAL INCBeaumontTX$558k0
THE KOREA CENTER FOR CULTURE AND EDUCATION INCNew YorkNY$558k0
ALASKA SPORTS HALL OF FAME INCAnchorageAK$558k1
ARTS ALIVE INCKeeneNH$558k0
THE PRINCIPLE WIFE INCLehiUT$558k1
CLAREMONT OPERA HOUSE INCClaremontNH$558k1
CENTERSanta FeNM$558k1
THE FORT MEIGS ASSOCIATIONPerrysburgOH$558k0
PERFORMANCE NOW THEATRE COMPANYHighlands RanchCO$557k3
SHELBY COUNTY ARTS COUNCILColumbianaAL$557k0
Donauschwabens German American Cultural CenterOlmsted FallsOH$557k0
GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR FOUNDATIONNorfolkVA$557k1
OK MOZART INCBartlesvilleOK$557k0
HANONAWailukuHI$557k0
ALABAMA DANCE THEATREMontgomeryAL$557k1
SUDBURY ACCESS CORPORATIONSudburyMA$557k0
THOMAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCThomasvilleGA$557k1
THE CENTER FOR KASHMIR INCWilliamsvilleNY$557k0
CLAUDE MCNEAL'S MUSICAL THEATRE TRAINING PROGRAM INCIndianapolisIN$557k1
TOM LEA INSTITUTEEl PasoTX$557k1
MCHENRY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYUnionIL$556k0
SPACE ONE ELEVEN INCBirminghamAL$556k1
COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL INColumbiaSC$556k0
FLORENCE LITTLE THEATREFlorenceSC$556k1
FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY WOMENS SUSTAINING BOARDColumbusOH$556k0
UNITED GERMAN AMERICAN SOCIETITES OF GREATER CHICAGO INCChicagoIL$556k0
ARTFEST FORT MYERS INCFort MyersFL$556k1
THOMAS BECKET FOUNDATIONProvidenceRI$556k0
MENNONITE HISTORIANS OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA INCHarleysvillePA$556k2
THE SANDBOX A HILTON HEADHilton Head IslandSC$556k0
GREAT LAKES CHAMBER ORCHESTRAPetoskeyMI$556k1
GlasstireHoustonTX$556k1
Independent Coast Observer Community NewsGualalaCA$555k1
BALDWIN FOR THE ARTS INCBrooklynNY$555k0
CONNECTICUT HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ASSOCIATION INCCheshireCT$555k6
KERRYTOWN CONCERT HOUSE INCAnn ArborMI$555k2
DIVINE MERCY RADIO INCRaleighNC$555k0
FLICKERS-THE NEWPORT FILM-VIDEO SOCIETY & ARTS COLLABORATIVENewportRI$555k0
GLENS FALLS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAGlens FallsNY$555k0
MOOSEHEAD MARINE MUSEUMGreenvilleME$555k0
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR DANCE MEDICINE AND SCIENCEAuroraCO$555k1
CULTURAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIALos AngelesCA$555k0
Guitar Foundation of AmericaLos AngelesCA$554k1
DANCING IN THE STREETS INCBronxNY$554k1
ALLEGHENY INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICYPittsburghPA$554k4
HEALDSBURG PERFORMING ARTS THEATERHealdsburgCA$554k0
ART-E FOUNDATIONOceansideCA$554k5