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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 199 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
RIVER AND RAIL THEATRE COMPANYKnoxvilleTN$519k0
TEXAS GOLF HALL OF FAME & MUSEUMHoustonTX$519k1
KIDS DISCOVERY MUSEUM KIDS DISCOVERY MUSEUMBainbridge IslandWA$519k2
Panida Theater Committee IncSandpointID$519k0
COLORADO SPRINGS CHILDREN'S CHORALEColorado SpringsCO$519k1
Robidoux Resident TheatreSaint JosephMO$519k1
CHRISTMASVILLERock HillSC$519k0
INDIE MEMPHISMemphisTN$518k1
CHINESE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MNMinneapolisMN$518k0
WEPA EMPOWERMENT CENTER INCMyerstownPA$518k0
Friends of the Moab Folk FestivalMoabUT$518k0
CYT NASHVILLE INCFranklinTN$518k3
VOICE OF CHRIST MEDIA MINISTRIES INCBeavertonOR$518k1
CREATIVE DECISIONS FOUNDATIONPittsburghPA$518k3
CHARLOTTE PLAYERS INCPort CharlotteFL$518k0
FORT COLLINS MUSICIANS ASSOCIATIONFort CollinsCO$518k1
DREAMWRIGHTS YOUTH AND FAMILY THEATREYorkPA$518k1
TENET NYC INCNew YorkNY$518k0
MUSYCACanoga ParkCA$518k5
Amelia Island Museum of History IncFernandina BeachFL$518k0
JOHNSTON FARM FRIENDS COUNCILPiquaOH$518k1
STATE STREET THEATRE CONew UlmMN$518k0
RHOADES SANFORD FOUNDATION INCWaupacaWI$517k0
Museum of Dinosaurs and Ancient CulturesCocoa BeachFL$517k0
ILLINOIS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INCChicagoIL$517k2
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE DENVERDenverCO$517k1
VILLAGE ARTS INCVan NuysCA$517k4
AMARANTH DIABETES FOUNDATION INCWoodbineGA$517k0
LACHEY ARTS INCLouisvilleKY$517k0
PHANTOM PROJECTS EDUC THEATERLa MiradaCA$517k1
OXFORD COMMUNITY ARTS CENTERCincinnatiOH$517k1
Valley of the Moon Music FestivalSonomaCA$517k2
GREELEY PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION INCGreeleyCO$517k0
THE MUZEO FOUNDATIONAnaheimCA$517k1
THE MAESTRO FOUNDATIONSanta MonicaCA$516k1
LAWYERS FOR THE CREATIVE ARTSChicagoIL$516k1
MAIN STREET HISTORIC CHESTERTOWN INCChestertownMD$516k0
THE NATIONAL SOC OF THE COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA IN THE COMM OF MABostonMA$516k0
THE NATIONAL GREAT BLACKS IN WAX MUSEUMBaltimoreMD$516k0
BLACK HILLS COMMUNITY THEATRE INCRapid CitySD$516k0
JUNEBUG PRODUCTIONS INCNew OrleansLA$516k2
HARVARD GAY & LESBIAN REVIEW INCBostonMA$516k0
Southwest Art Gallery and Science CenterDickinsonND$516k0
CECCHETTI COUNCIL OF AMERICA INCFlat RockMI$516k2
PARTNERSHIP FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES INCCantonMI$516k0
Royal Academy of DanceMilwaukeeWI$516k0
Open Stage of HarrisburgHarrisburgPA$516k1
THE THEATER AT MONMOUTHMonmouthME$515k1
PAN ASIAN REPERTORY THEATRE INCNew YorkNY$515k1
Stratford Art Works IncTucsonAZ$515k1