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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 19 of 819

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
SHENANDOAH VALLEY BATTLEFIELDS FOUNDATIONNew MarketVA$9M1
THE JOSEF AND ANNI ALBERS FOUNDATION INCBethanyCT$9M1
Old Dominion University Museum FoundationNorfolkVA$9M5
COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTERSan FranciscoCA$9M1
OLD STURBRIDGE INCSturbridgeMA$9M0
MINT MUSEUM OF ART INCCharlotteNC$9M7
LYNNEWOOD HALL PRESERVATION FOUNDATION INCElkins ParkPA$9M2
MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO FOUNDATIONSanta FeNM$9M2
GALISTEO ART FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$9M0
USDAN CENTER FOR THE CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTSWheatley HeightsNY$9M6
TENNESSEE VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM INCChattanoogaTN$8.9M0
EBELL OF LOS ANGELESLos AngelesCA$8.9M1
SARASOTA OPERA ASSOCIATION INCSarasotaFL$8.9M2
FOX CITIES PERFORMING ARTS CENTERAppletonWI$8.9M4
FREE PRESSWashingtonDC$8.9M7
First Look Institute IncLos GatosCA$8.9M0
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Foundation IncIndianapolisIN$8.9M0
THE FORT TICONDEROGA ASSOCIATIONTiconderogaNY$8.9M4
NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO INCConcordNH$8.9M5
PABST THEATER FOUNDATION INCMilwaukeeWI$8.9M1
THE LOUISIANA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRANew OrleansLA$8.9M12
THE FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY INCNew YorkNY$8.9M1
HISTORIC DEERFIELD INCDeerfieldMA$8.9M5
MANHATTAN CLASS COMPANY INCNew YorkNY$8.9M5
SIGNATURE THEATRE COMPANY INCNew YorkNY$8.9M5
PACIFIC BATTLESHIP CENTERSan PedroCA$8.8M5
ALUTIIQ HERITAGE FOUNDATIONKodiakAK$8.8M1
The Lodges at Banning Mills Retreat & Conservation Center IncWhitesburgGA$8.8M0
WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTSBeverly HillsCA$8.8M6
RIALTO THEATRE FOUNDATIONTucsonAZ$8.8M0
DISCOVERY CHILDREN'S MUSEUMLas VegasNV$8.8M3
ANDREW JACKSON FOUNDATION FKA LADIES' HERMITAGE ASSOCIATIONHermitageTN$8.8M1
Film Society of Austin IncAustinTX$8.8M5
WINGS OVER THE ROCKIES AIR & SPACE MUSEUMDenverCO$8.8M2
RAILROADING HERITAGE OF MIDWEST AMERICA INCBlaineMN$8.8M3
THE WANG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INCBostonMA$8.8M10
ST LUKES CHAMBER ENSEMBLE INCNew YorkNY$8.7M7
STELLA ADLER STUDIO OF ACTINGNew YorkNY$8.7M3
Penland School Of CraftPenlandNC$8.7M3
Tulsa Ballet Theatre IncTulsaOK$8.7M3
ROCHESTER MUSEUM & SCIENCE CENTERRochesterNY$8.7M3
VINEYARD ARTS AND CULTURE FOUNDATION INCChicagoIL$8.7M1
MACHON MASEH ROCKEACH INCBrooklynNY$8.7M0
THE DENVER ART MUSEUM FOUNDATIONDenverCO$8.7M0
APERTURE FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$8.7M4
ABT PERFORMING ARTS ASSOCIATION INCPeoriaAZ$8.6M3
MIAMI VALLEY PUBLIC MEDIA INCYellow SpringsOH$8.6M3
GATEWAY CREATIVE BROADCASTING INCSt LouisMO$8.6M5
DULUTH PLAYHOUSE INCDuluthMN$8.6M1
DETROIT HISTORICAL SOCIETYDetroitMI$8.6M3