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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 220 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
FREDERIC REMINGTON ART MUSEUMOgdensburgNY$446k0
Portland Actors ConservatoryPortlandOR$446k1
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE BABYLONIAN JEWRY HERITAGE CENTER INCNew YorkNY$445k0
VITAL WINESWalla WallaWA$445k1
GRACIE MANSION CONSERVANCYNew YorkNY$445k1
Lincoln Parent Teacher OrganizationHibbingMN$445k0
NORTHEAST MINNEAPOLIS ARTS ASSOCMinneapolisMN$445k3
HILL DANCE ACADEMY THEATREPittsburghPA$445k1
PROJECT LEVELSan FranciscoCA$445k0
The Carolina Wren Press IncDurhamNC$445k0
SAN LUIS OBISPO CHILDREN'S MUSEUMSan Luis ObispoCA$445k1
HAWAII BALLET THEATRE FOR YOUTHHonoluluHI$445k2
DAVIS ARTS CENTERDavisCA$445k0
THE HERITAGE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION INCChicagoIL$445k0
BLACK LEMONADENashvilleTN$445k1
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF JACKSONVILLEJacksonvilleNC$444k1
SONOMA EARTH SCHOOLForestvilleCA$444k0
SUTTER COUNTY PARENT NETWORKYuba CityCA$444k2
PRINCETON ACADEMY OF ART INCPrincetonNJ$444k0
LOVELAND MUSIC BOOSTERSLovelandOH$444k0
Brady Craft IncTulsaOK$444k1
THE ROSIN BOX PROJECT INCSan DiegoCA$444k1
Giant Screen Cinema AssociationWilmingtonNC$444k1
FLORIDA INSTITUTE FOR SALTWATER HERITAGE INCCortezFL$444k0
LAKE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS INCLake GeorgeNY$444k0
NEW LITERARY PROJECTOaklandCA$444k1
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION HISTORICAL SOCIETYWashingtonDC$444k1
MINDSPRING MENTAL HEALTH ALLIANCEDes MoinesIA$444k0
MEDICINE LODGE INDIAN PEACE TREATYMedicine LodgeKS$444k0
DOWNTOWN THEATER FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTSFairfieldCA$444k0
Midwest Art Catalyst IncMankatoMN$443k0
LEHI ARTS COUNCILLehiUT$443k1
FIRST VOICE INCSan FranciscoCA$443k2
Buchanan Center for the ArtsMonmouthIL$443k1
FARGO-MOORHEAD OPERA COMPANYFargoND$443k0
Palestine Museum US CorporationWoodbridgeCT$443k0
TAMARACK FOUNDATION INCCharlestonWV$443k1
Public Radio News Directors IncSturgisSD$443k0
FREEDOM QUILTING BEE LEGACYAlbertaAL$443k0
ICE DANCE INTERNATIONALDoverfoxcroftME$443k1
FIASCO THEATER LTDNew YorkNY$443k3
INYO COUNCIL FOR THE ARTSBishopCA$443k0
Apogaea IncDenverCO$443k0
GABRIELA LENA FRANK CREATIVE ACADEMY OF MUSICBoonvilleCA$442k1
GREATER DALLAS CHORAL SOCIETYDallasTX$442k3
KOREANAMERICANSTORYORG INCScarsdaleNY$442k1
Los Angeles Art AssociationLos AngelesCA$442k1
ITALIAN CULTURAL CENTERMinneapolisMN$442k7
WOODSTOCK ARTISTS ASSOCIATION INCWoodstockNY$442k0
MUSIC THEATER OF WENATCHEE INCWenatcheeWA$442k0