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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 263 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
THE FRIENDS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA MARITIME MUSEUM AT SOUTHPORTSouthportNC$335k0
KEWEENAW COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYMohawkMI$335k0
DANBURY RAILWAY MUSEUM INCDanburyCT$335k0
THE PERFORMANCE ART MUSEUMLos AngelesCA$335k0
CITY STRINGS UNITED INCRoxburyMA$335k1
FRIENDS OF FORT FISHER INCORPORATEDKure BeachNC$335k0
ESSEX HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND SHIPBUILDING MUSEUM INCEssexMA$335k0
Sierra Nevada Children's MuseumTruckeeCA$335k1
FAIRBANKS DRAMA ASSOCIATION FAIRBANKS CHILDRENS THEATRE INCFairbanksAK$335k1
CREATIVE GIRLS ROCKNashvilleTN$335k1
INTERTWINE ARTS INCNew YorkNY$335k0
WEST PHILADELPHIA CULTURAL ALLIANCEPhiladelphiaPA$335k0
DIVERSITY OF DANCE INCBrooklynNY$335k2
Central High School Band Booster AssocKellerTX$335k0
Sacramento Mens ChorusSacramentoCA$335k0
EXPERIENCE EXCELLENCEVictoriaTX$335k2
The Arts of Imagination FoundationPalos Verdes PeninsulaCA$335k0
GULLAH FESTIVAL OF SOUTH CAROLINABeaufortSC$334k0
JUSTICE ARTS COALITION INCSilver SpringMD$334k1
NORTH CAROLINA THEATRE CONFERENCEGreensboroNC$334k1
SEATTLE ARTS AND MUSIC GROUPSeattleWA$334k0
CEDAR VALLEY SEMINARY FOUNDATIONOsageIA$334k0
CENTER FOR RAILROAD PHOTOGRAPHY & ART ENDOWMENTMadisonWI$334k0
AGRICULTURAL HALL OF FAMEBonner SpringsKS$334k0
DANCEAST COLLECTIVENashvilleTN$334k3
Roaming Gnome TheatreAuroraCO$334k0
SCHWARTZ MORRIS FOUNDATIONRaleighNC$334k0
AMARGOSA OPERA HOUSE INCDeath ValleyCA$334k0
FLORIDA FILM INSTITUTE INCNorth MiamiFL$334k1
MUSEUM OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLEWashingtonDC$334k1
CENTERSTAGE THEATREFederal WayWA$334k2
SAN ANTO CULTURAL ARTSSan AntonioTX$334k1
LOUISVILLE FILM SOCIETY INCLouisvilleKY$334k0
Robert Moses KinSan FranciscoCA$334k1
COALESCE FOUNDATIONIrvineCA$334k0
THE 1947 PARTITION ARCHIVEBerkeleyCA$334k1
MANDATE PROJECT IMPACT INCSan DiegoCA$334k0
PENNSYLVANIA GUILD OF CRAFTSMENLancasterPA$334k1
COBBLESTONE SOCIETYAlbionNY$334k0
BISHOP MUSEUM & HISTORICAL SOCIETYBishopCA$334k0
MERELY PLAYERSDurangoCO$334k1
CHENEY DEPOT SOCIETYCheneyWA$334k0
Participatory Safety IncNew YorkNY$334k0
CELEBRATE FREDERICK INCFrederickMD$334k0
Los Angeles TheatresportsLos AngelesCA$334k2
Havre de Grace Decoy Museum IncHavre De GraceMD$334k0
DAVID LABKOVSKI PROJECTWest HillsCA$334k1
FRANKLIN STOCK COMPANY AT CHAPEL HALL INCFranklinNY$333k1
THE QUEER BIG APPLE CORPS INCNew YorkNY$333k1
ELMHURST SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION INCElmhurstIL$333k1