Skip to main content
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 193 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
THE INTERMOUNTAIN SUZUKI STRING INSTITUTEHolladayUT$542k4
WARREN WILDLIFE GALLERYAustinTX$542k0
CHEYENNE LITTLE THEATRE PLAYERSCheyenneWY$542k1
ZILKER THEATRE PRODUCTIONSAustinTX$542k1
MARGARET JENKINS DANCE STUDIO INCSan FranciscoCA$541k2
SAN ANTONIO MOBILITY COALITION INCSan AntonioTX$541k1
DOVA INCNew YorkNY$541k2
North Andover Historical SocietyNorth AndoverMA$541k1
CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUMWatervilleME$541k1
WEST VIRGINIA ALLIANCE OF RECOVERY RESIDENCES INCCharlestonWV$541k1
St Louis ArtWorksSaint LouisMO$541k1
READING PUBLIC MUSEUM ENDOWMENT TRUSTReadingPA$541k0
CURRENT AFFAIRS INCNew OrleansLA$541k1
ACCESS MONTEREY PENINSULA INCMontereyCA$541k0
SCIENCE & DISCOVERY CENTER OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA INCPanama CityFL$541k0
Cultures Arts Festivals and Events of ErieEriePA$541k2
ALLIED ARTS COUNCIL OF ST JOSEPH MISSOURISaint JosephMO$541k1
DOWNTOWN AURORA VISUAL ARTSAuroraCO$540k1
NATIONAL WOODLAND OWNERS ASSOCINCViennaVA$540k0
NORTH CAROLINA RAILWAY MUSEUM INCNew HillNC$540k0
CLOCKWOOD CHARITIES INCGlenbrookNV$540k0
The Hispanic Leadership Fund IncWashingtonDC$540k0
HOUSTON SWING DANCE SOCIETYHoustonTX$540k0
VOICES OF MUSIC INCSan FranciscoCA$540k2
LINCOLN COUNTY COMMUNITY THEATER & ORCHESTRADamariscottaME$540k0
MINDFUL MOMENTCincinnatiOH$540k1
San Diego Chinese Historical Society and MuseumSan DiegoCA$540k0
Kenilworth Historical SocietyKenilworthIL$540k0
SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL OPERA ASSOCIATIONSpringfieldIL$540k0
COUNCIL FOR ELECTRONIC REVENUE COMMUNICATION ADVANCEMENTCentrevilleVA$539k1
Florida Vocal Association IncValparaisoFL$539k1
OHANA ARTSMililaniHI$539k0
THE TATTER BLUE ARCHIVES INSTITUTE C/O JORDANA MARTINNew YorkNY$539k0
LEGION FOR THE SURVIVAL OF FREEDOM INCNewport BeachCA$539k2
GREEN RIVER VALLEY MUSEUM INCBig PineyWY$539k0
THE KIDS THEATRE COMPANYGlendaleCA$539k1
SHIPYARD TRUST FOR THE ARTSSan FranciscoCA$539k2
CHARLESTON ACADEMY OF MUSICCharlestonSC$539k1
PLUGGED IN BAND PROGRAM INCNeedhamMA$539k0
SATELLITE COLLECTIVE INCFremontMI$539k1
MIAMI STAGE COMPANYSouth MiamiFL$539k1
ATX Chamber Music and JazzAustinTX$539k0
RHETORIC SOCIETY OF AMERICAEdwardsCO$539k1
THE PUPPETEERS OF AMERICA INCMinneapolisMN$539k0
Illinois Theatre AssociationChicagoIL$538k0
Flower Hill CenterAustinTX$538k1
FINNISH CULTURAL INSTITUTE IN NEW YORKBrooklynNY$538k1
Mid-Shore Community Radio IncCambridgeMD$538k0
EDMONDS DRIFTWOOD PLAYERS INCEdmondsWA$538k1
LONG'S PARK AMPHITHEATER FOUNDATIONLancasterPA$538k0