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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 243 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
SUN VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL INCSun ValleyID$380k1
PIONEER VALLEY BALLET GUILD INEasthamptonMA$380k0
PRESQUE ISLE LIGHT STATIONEriePA$380k1
DELAWARE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL INCWilmingtonDE$380k2
1888 Buckle Club IncPrescottAZ$380k1
THE THEATRE WITHIN INCForest HillsNY$380k1
HISTORIC ROCK CASTLEHendersonvilleTN$380k0
YAFFA CULTURAL ARTS INCNew YorkNY$380k4
PACIFICA COMMUNITY TELEVISION INCPacificaCA$379k1
ALFRED & LOIS KELCH AVIATION MUSEUMBrodheadWI$379k1
Excellencies of ChristPort Saint LucieFL$379k1
PARITY PRODUCTIONS INCNew YorkNY$379k0
CHEHALIS BALLET CENTERChehalisWA$379k1
INSECTARIUM AND BUTTERFLY PAVILION INCArlingtonVA$379k1
NORTH RALEIGH ARTS & CREATIVE THEATRERaleighNC$379k0
DOOR SHAKESPEARE INCBaileys HarborWI$379k0
New Tampa Players IncTampaFL$379k0
The Wonderseed FoundationEncinoCA$379k1
KEEPERS OF HISTORIC GREEN-MELDRIM HOUSE INCSavannahGA$379k0
LOWELL MAKES INCLowellMA$379k0
Wimberley Players IncWimberleyTX$379k2
NORTHAMPTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS INCNorthamptonMA$379k0
MUSICAL YOUTH ARTIST REPERTORY THEATRELong BeachCA$379k2
Grand Illusion CinemaSeattleWA$379k0
HISTORIC RIVERSIDE CEMETERY CONSERVANCY INCMaconGA$378k1
SYRACUSE CITY BALLET INCSyracuseNY$378k2
METAL ARTS GUILD OF GEORGIA INCAtlantaGA$378k0
OHIO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVALKentOH$378k0
The Richard C Paine Jr Automobile Collection Charitable TrustPortlandME$378k2
HERRING POND WAMPANOAG TRIBE INCPlymouthMA$378k0
UNMANAGEABLENashvilleTN$378k0
AVIATION HERITAGE PARKBowling GreenKY$378k0
THE COMMUNITY FESTIVALColumbusOH$378k1
LUBBOCK EXPERIENCE INCLubbockTX$378k3
ARTEMPLE FOUNDATION INCChicagoIL$378k0
MOLESKINE FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$378k0
NAZ REAL ESTATE HOLDING COMPANYMinneapolisMN$378k2
JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERSBudaTX$378k0
CULTURAL IMPACT FOUNDATION INCClearwaterFL$378k0
OLD ROCHESTER COMMUNITY TELEVISIONMattapoisettMA$378k1
ASHLAND COMMUNITY ENTERPRISESAshlandPA$378k2
THE GRATEFUL AMERICAN FOUNDATION INC C/O DAVID BRUCE SMITH PRESIDENTArlingtonVA$378k0
Auburn State Theatre IncorporatedAuburnCA$378k1
ALI AKBAR COLLEGE OF MUSICSan RafaelCA$378k4
JAGANNATH CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL CENTER INCSan JoseCA$378k0
PLAYZEUM YUBA-SUTTERYuba CityCA$377k1
SOUTHEAST COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTER INCAtlantaGA$377k1
ST PATRICKS DAY FOUNDATION NYCLarchmontNY$377k0
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF EARLY AMERICAN DECORATION INCLititzPA$377k0
OPERA ON THE JAMESLynchburgVA$377k2