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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 264 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
AGUILASSan FranciscoCA$333k1
SHELLABRATION INCFort DodgeIA$333k0
THEATRE WITH A TWIST INCActonMA$333k2
Friends of the Doubling Point CO Daniel McLeanBathME$333k0
KIDZ KONNECTION INCClintonCT$333k1
ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE WESTERN REGIONGlendaleCA$333k0
WEST AFRICAN COMMUNITY CENTERSeattleWA$333k0
SUNRISE COMMUNICATIONS INCLincolnNE$333k1
FRIENDS OF THE AIKEN RAILROAD DEPOTAikenSC$333k0
THE LITERACY PROJECTMount RainierMD$333k1
ENDANGERED LANGUAGE FUNDNew HavenCT$333k1
HIGHLANDS RANCH CULTURAL AFFAIRS ASSOCIATIONHighlands RanchCO$333k0
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE INCGermantownTN$333k2
OFF THE WALL CHARITABLE TRUSTCarnegiePA$333k0
THE VILLAGE PLAYHOUSE INCBirminghamMI$333k0
SPARTA PERFORMING ARTS BOOSTER CLUB INCSpartaWI$333k0
LIMESTONE COUNTY HISTORIAL MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONGroesbeckTX$333k0
ISRAELI CHAMBER PROJECT INCNew YorkNY$333k2
ELDRIDGE PARK CAROUSEL PRESERVATION SOCIETY INCElmiraNY$333k1
ANN ARBOR STREET ART FAIR INCAnn ArborMI$333k1
SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHPLACE AMERICA INCNew YorkNY$333k0
Bessemer Historical Society IncPuebloCO$333k1
PROVIDENCE FOUNDATIONCharlottesvleVA$332k2
DARUL ULOOM NEW JERSEY INCPatersonNJ$332k0
PRODUCIONES CONTRAPARTE INCCarolinaPR$332k0
BOZEMAN ART MUSEUMBozemanMT$332k1
The BottomKnoxvilleTN$332k0
FREMONT CENTER FOR THE ARTSCanon CityCO$332k0
TROY COMMUNITY FMTroyOH$332k0
FIFTY SHADES OF PURPLE AGAINST BULLYINGPhiladelphiaPA$332k0
BLUEGRASS RAILROAD MUSEUM INCVersaillesKY$332k0
HARMONY SCHOOL OF CREATIVE ARTSMarble FallsTX$332k0
MUSEUM OF MOUNTAIN FLYINGMissoulaMT$332k0
CASCADIANOWSeattleWA$332k0
T Foundation C/O Franklin M Tokioka IIHonoluluHI$332k0
TTT PRODUCTIONS A NJ NONPROFITPalmyraNJ$332k0
WHITE SNAKE PROJECTS INCBrooklineMA$332k0
FRIENDS OF FLORIDA HISTORY INCTallahasseeFL$332k1
MAKE STUDIO ART PROGRAM INCBaltimoreMD$332k3
AUSABLE ARTISAN VILLAGEGraylingMI$332k0
COLORADO MUSIC HALL OF FAMEDenverCO$332k1
SCARSDALE WOMANS CLUB INCScarsdaleNY$332k0
THE LEIGH AND EDWIN SCHADT VIOLIN SCSaint LouisMO$332k1
THE LEELA INSTITUTEWest HillsCA$332k2
DALY MANSION PRESERVATION TRUSTHamiltonMT$332k2
BISHOP HILL HERITAGE ASSOCIATIONBishop HillIL$332k0
BEHOLD THE LAMB MINISTRIESHerrinIL$332k3
PLAYPENN INCPhiladelphiaPA$332k1
GALLERY PLAYERS OF OREGONMcMinnvilleOR$331k0
Zoe Live Creative Arts Academy IncFort PierceFL$331k0