Skip to main content
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 21 of 819

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
THE HENRY MORRISON FLAGLER MUSEUM INCPalm BeachFL$8M5
ANKERBERG THEOLOGICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTEChattanoogaTN$8M6
NASHVILLE PUBLIC RADIONashvilleTN$8M5
ICA LALos AngelesCA$8M1
THE RICHMOND BALLETRichmondVA$8M4
BRD FAMILY FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$8M0
POSITIVE ALTERNATIVE RADIO INCBlacksburgVA$8M6
PLUM BUSH FOUNDATION C/O KINGSLEY BUSINESS SERVICE INCMillisMA$8M0
Houston Grand Opera Endowment IncHoustonTX$8M1
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGEAstoriaNY$8M5
NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER INCCincinnatiOH$8M3
Amant Foundation USABrooklynNY$8M2
FILM FORUM INCNew YorkNY$8M7
THE ERIC CARLE MUSEUM OF PICTURE BOOK ART INCAmherstMA$8M6
INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHYNew YorkNY$8M7
EASTERN WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETYSpokaneWA$8M2
CASA MANANA INCFort WorthTX$8M2
COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND ARTSMountain ViewCA$8M3
Wartime History Museum Inc (AKA Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum)BentonvilleAR$8M0
WAITT INSTITUTENorth Sioux CitySD$7.9M1
SER-Jobs for Progress Inc San Joaquin ValleyFresnoCA$7.9M7
Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public BroadcastingBaton RougeLA$7.9M1
RAISE YOUR HAND FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLSAustinTX$7.9M7
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center IncNew YorkNY$7.9M3
ODCSan FranciscoCA$7.9M4
Alliance for California Traditional ArtsFresnoCA$7.9M1
TELEGU ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA INCONoviMI$7.9M0
Bowdoin International Music FestivalBrunswickME$7.9M3
THE NASDAQ ENTREPRENEURIAL CENTER INCSan FranciscoCA$7.9M5
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MATHEMATICSNew YorkNY$7.9M6
PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY BROADCASTING CORPORATIONPittsburghPA$7.9M6
CINCINNATI OPERA ASSOCIATION INCCincinnatiOH$7.9M4
DALLAS COUNTY HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONDallasTX$7.8M4
ANDERSON RANCH ARTS FOUNDATIONSnowmass VillageCO$7.8M4
FRIENDS OF PUBLIC RADIO ARIZONATempeAZ$7.8M1
Merola Opera ProgramSan FranciscoCA$7.8M4
RETRO REPORT INCMysticCT$7.8M1
KANU O KA AINA LEARNING OHANAKamuelaHI$7.8M3
HARPER'S MAGAZINE FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$7.8M3
THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY TNFranklinTN$7.8M3
ART TREK INCNewbury ParkCA$7.8M4
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF CLEVELAND HOLDINGS FOUNDATIONClevelandOH$7.8M1
MUSIC AND DANCE THEATER CHICAGO INCChicagoIL$7.8M6
AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTERPittsburghPA$7.8M5
POWERHOUSE SCIENCE CENTERSacramentoCA$7.8M2
City Springs TheatreSandy SpringsGA$7.8M0
PORTLAND CENTER STAGEPortlandOR$7.7M4
ARTISTS FOR HUMANITY INCBostonMA$7.7M9
CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION FOR THE PERFORMING ARTSColumbusOH$7.7M2
Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation TrustBoyertownPA$7.7M0