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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 196 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTERUrbanaIL$530k1
IOWA STATE DANCEDRILL TEAM ASSOCIATIONPellaIA$530k2
KENTUCKY CLASSIC ARTS AT CENTRE SQUARE INCLebanonKY$530k0
The Barn Theater IncStuartFL$530k0
ARMORY ARTS AND MUSIC CENTERDuluthMN$530k2
MR MO PROJECT SENIOR DOG RESCUEClifton ParkNY$530k0
THE FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF KASLIK INCLakewoodOH$530k0
THEATRE TALLAHASSEE INCTallahasseeFL$530k1
INDIANAPOLIS THEATRE FRINGE FEIndianapolisIN$530k2
PARADISE GARDEN FOUNDATION INCSummervilleGA$530k0
YOUNG LIONS JAZZ CONSERVATORYSan DiegoCA$530k0
Harrington House FoundationAmarilloTX$530k2
Little Lake Theatre CompanyCanonsburgPA$530k0
FRIENDS OF THE TEMECULA CHILDRENS MUSEUM INCTemeculaCA$530k0
THE IMMEDIATE LIFE INCNew YorkNY$529k2
STUDENT ORCHESTRAS OF GREATER OLYMPIAOlympiaWA$529k1
The Alden Kindred of America IncDuxburyMA$529k2
BLUE AND GRAY EDUCATION SOCIETYMorehead CityNC$529k1
Ethiopian and Eritrean Cultural and Resource CentePortlandOR$529k0
BAAYBellinghamWA$529k1
TEXAS & SOUTHWESTERN CATTLE RAISERS' FOUNDATIONFort WorthTX$529k1
THE MUSEUM OF DEMOCRACY INCNew YorkNY$529k0
CYT PHOENIXPhoenixAZ$529k3
THE MARATHON COMMUNITY THEATRE INCMarathonFL$529k0
BONNAROO WORKS FUNDNashvilleTN$529k0
CLEVELAND SCHOOL OF THE ARTS BOARD OF TRUSTEESClevelandOH$529k1
NW GOLDBERG CARES INCDetroitMI$529k0
The Norwalk Symphony Society IncNorwalkCT$529k0
Vital Arts IncBerkeleyCA$528k0
CAMPUS COMMUNICATIONS INCGainesvilleFL$528k12
RICHMOND ART MUSEUMRichmondIN$528k1
Newlife Behavior InternationalGarlandTX$528k0
BALLET THEATRE OF ASHBURN INCAshburnVA$528k2
PRAIRIE CENTER ARTS FOUNDATIONSchaumburgIL$528k0
BRANFORD ELECTRIC RAILWAY ASSOC INCEast HavenCT$528k1
HEIGHTS ARTS COLLABORATIVE INCCleveland HeightsOH$528k1
THE TED STEVENS FOUNDATION FKA NORTH TO THE FUTURE FOUNDATIONAnchorageAK$528k0
KAIBIGAN NG LAHAINAKahuluiHI$528k1
LIVING ARTS TRUST INC DBA O CINEMAMiamiFL$528k1
MOUNTAIN TOP MINISTRIES INCEgg Harbor TownshipNJ$528k0
NEW BERN CIVIC THEATRE INCNew BernNC$528k0
KUNDIMAN INCNew YorkNY$528k2
KANSAS CITY JAZZ ORCHESTRAKansas CityMO$528k1
THEATRE OF YOUTH COMPANY INCBuffaloNY$528k1
GLYNDEBOURNE AMERICA INC CO THE LAW OFFICES OF RICHARD M BLOCKNew YorkNY$527k1
CHICAGO PUBLIC ART GROUPChicagoIL$527k1
QUEENSBERRY FARMS FOUNDATION INCBostonMA$527k0
TAKE-UP PRODUCTIONSMinneapolisMN$527k4
MISNOMER INCBrooklynNY$527k1
MOTHER BROOK ARTS AND COMMUNITY CENTERDedhamMA$527k0