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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 262 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
The Rome Chamber Music Festival IncNew CanaanCT$337k0
SRS HERITAGE FOUNDATION INCAikenSC$337k1
NAATAKSan JoseCA$337k0
Virginia Chamber Music FoundationCharlottesvilleVA$337k2
Childrens Musical Theatreworks IncFresnoCA$337k1
World Affairs Council of Kentucky SLouisvilleKY$337k0
PAINT A MIRACLERochesterMI$337k0
Make Your Mark Media IncAnnapolisMD$337k1
Riverton Steamboat Landing FoundationRivertonNJ$337k0
CLUBE RECREATIVO E CULTURAL PORTUGUES DE WARRENWarrenRI$337k0
THE PAPER BAG PLAYERS INCNew YorkNY$337k1
WEST VALLEY ARTS COUNCILSurpriseAZ$337k1
WORLD MUSIC PRODUCTIONSBrooklynNY$337k1
FRIENDS OF SEQUOYAHVonoreTN$337k0
THE MOUNT PLEASANT FOUNDATIONNewportRI$337k0
PORTAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS INCPortageWI$336k0
PENASCO VALLEY HISTORICAL PRESERVATION SOCIETYPenascoNM$336k1
DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PARKS LLCAustinTX$336k0
THE MAASAI GIRLS EDUCATION FUNDWashingtonDC$336k1
IREDELL ARTS COUNCIL INCStatesvilleNC$336k2
SOUND CIRCLE CENTER FOR ARTS AND ANTHROPOSOPHYSeattleWA$336k0
FORCES OF NATURE INCNew YorkNY$336k3
ELLEN R COHEN CHARITABLE TRUSTNewtonMA$336k0
THE FREE FOR ALL CONCERT FUND INC C/O CAMBRIDGE TRUSTBostonMA$336k0
DANCE MOTION PERFORMING COMPANY INCPhoenixAZ$336k0
JOY FOR GENERATIONSTrentonTN$336k2
VISHAL RAJU BHAGAT FOUNDATIONCorpus ChristiTX$336k0
GRIOT THEATER COMPANYSausalitoCA$336k1
Theatre Rhinoceros IncSan FranciscoCA$336k4
IGNITION NORTHWESTSeattleWA$336k0
KELLY MUSIC FOR LIFEHavertownPA$336k3
LOS ANGELES INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' ALLIANCEWestminsterCA$336k1
INTERNATIONAL BALLETBradentonFL$336k2
THE OPPORTUNITY FOUNDATIONChicagoIL$336k0
BEAUFORT ARTS AND MUSIC INCBeaufortNC$336k0
Wilmington Railroad Museum Foundation IncWilmingtonNC$336k1
THE MICHAEL MURPHEY WESTERN INSTITUTE INNashvilleTN$336k0
Innovative Giving EnhancementPortlandOR$336k0
(NEO)MURALISMOS DE MEXICOSaint PaulMN$336k0
MORY'S PRESERVATION INCNew HavenCT$336k0
7TH STREET THEATRE ASSOCIATIONHoquiamWA$336k2
FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL FOUNDATIONOrange CityIA$336k0
ANDERSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCAndersonIN$336k0
CHICAGO LATINO THEATER ALLIANCEChicagoIL$336k1
HARTFORD HERITAGE INCHartfordWI$336k1
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONViennaVA$335k0
DON BLUTH FRONT ROW THEATREScottsdaleAZ$335k0
INNER CITY CULTURAL LEAGUE INCDoverDE$335k1
NOVA CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTSBillingsMT$335k6
Stonewall Sports ChicagoChicagoIL$335k0