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 198 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Rocky Mountain Anime AssociationAuroraCO$523k1
FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL LEGACY LEARNING CENTER INCPalm CoastFL$523k0
MUSEUM AT PORTLAND HEAD LIGHTCape ElizabethME$523k1
THE COOPERAGE PROJECTHonesdalePA$523k1
STURGIS MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM & HALL OF FAMESturgisSD$523k1
MOTHERLAND RHYTHM COMMUNITYGrayslakeIL$523k1
Washington Oxi Day FoundationWashingtonDC$523k1
Latino Leadership InstituteLittletonCO$522k3
The Bellingham Circus GuildBellinghamWA$522k0
BLACK LIVES MATTER PATERSONPatersonNJ$522k1
HIGHER OCTAVE HEALING INCTempeAZ$522k1
Belmont Community Media Center IncBelmontMA$522k1
Mendocino Arts Center IncMendocinoCA$522k0
Scott Boudin Festival Association IncScottLA$522k0
VOLTA MUSIC FOUNDATION INCPompano BeachFL$522k2
VIRGINIA FOUNDATION FOR AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOMRichmondVA$522k0
DINOSAUR AHTORIUMSt GeorgeUT$522k1
HULA PRESERVATION SOCIETYKaneoheHI$521k0
CHARLESTON LIGHT OPERA GUILD INCCharlestonWV$521k0
Open Dance Project IncHoustonTX$521k0
SALEM ACCESS TELEVISION CORPORATIONSalemMA$521k0
THE FIREHOUSE THEATRE PROJECT INCRichmondVA$521k1
Childrens Discovery Museum IncVictoriaTX$521k0
FLYING HERITAGE & COMBAT ARMOR MUSEUMSeattleWA$521k0
MANATEE EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION CONSORTIUM INCBradentonFL$521k1
NV Dance CompanyNapaCA$521k0
CHATHAM BAROQUE INCPittsburghPA$521k3
MONTPELIER PERFORMING ARTS HUB INCMontpelierVT$521k0
ASIA ART ARCHIVE IN AMERICA INCBrooklynNY$521k0
TACOMA OPERA ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONAL SERVICESTacomaWA$521k1
AUDACITY PERFORMING ARTS PROJECT INCCampbellCA$521k2
OGDEN FIRST INCOgdenUT$521k1
Old Town Music Hall IncEl SegundoCA$521k0
KUWAYAMA-NAITO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION TRUSTNew YorkNY$521k0
THE WILLIAM LOUIS-DREYFUS FOUNDATION C/O LOUIS DREYFUS FAMILY OFFICEWiltonCT$520k0
KEYSTONE STATE MUSIC THEATER ASSOCIATIONCranberry TownshipPA$520k2
OCEAN CITY ARTS CENTEROcean CityNJ$520k1
THEATRE PRODUCTION & TECHNICAL ACADEMY INCFolsomCA$520k0
THE IPSWICH LOCAL NEWS INCIpswichMA$520k2
JAPANESE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF OREGONPortlandOR$520k1
WAM THEATRE INCLenoxMA$520k1
NEW HAMPSHIRE MUSIC FESTIVALPlymouthNH$520k2
LAKOTA COMMUNICATIONS INCPorcupineSD$520k6
Jacksonville Area Center for Independent LivingJacksonvilleIL$520k1
AXS Lab IncLong Island CityNY$520k0
Augusta Mini Theatre IncAugustaGA$519k1
PARDIS FOR CHILDREN INCBrooklynNY$519k0
ARTS EMPOWERING LIFE INCOrleansMA$519k0
OHIO ALLIANCE FOR ARTS EDUCATIONColumbusOH$519k1
INTERSECT ARTS CENTERSaint LouisMO$519k4