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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 269 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
HOPEWELL MUSIC COOPERATIVE-NORTHMinneapolisMN$323k1
JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN CENTER FOR RECONCILIATION INCTulsaOK$323k1
Cellobello IncBostonMA$323k1
Diplomacy Center FoundationWashingtonDC$323k2
OTIC THEATER COLLECTIVE INC MOCKINGBIRD IMPROVSan DiegoCA$323k0
TEADA PRODUCTIONSLos AngelesCA$323k2
TOFTE LAKE CENTER INCElyMN$323k1
MASTER MUSICIANS FESTIVAL INCSomersetKY$323k1
HARRISON ATELIER FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$323k0
The Colonial Theatre School IncWesterlyRI$323k0
RAGA MASSIVE INCBrooklynNY$323k3
THE ITHACA VOICE INCIthacaNY$323k1
PORT ARANSAS ART CENTERPort AransasTX$323k1
Alliance Francaise D'AustinAustinTX$323k0
Ralston White Retreat FoundationKentfieldCA$323k0
CLACKAMAS HERITAGE PARTNERSOregon CityOR$323k1
Fiddlehead Center For The Arts ScarboroughScarboroughME$323k0
PITTSBURG ARTS & COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONPittsburgCA$323k0
PALM SPRINGS MODERN COMMITTEEPalm SpringsCA$323k1
MIZNASt PaulMN$323k1
HENDERSON AREA ARTS ALLIANCE INCHendersonKY$323k0
JUNEAU ALASKA MUSIC MATTERSJuneauAK$323k0
Back Bay Chorale LTDBostonMA$323k0
DANVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INCDanvilleIL$323k0
KISS THEATRE COWilkes BarrePA$323k0
MISSION POSSIBLENashvilleTN$323k0
LANSING ART GALLERY & EDUCATION CENTERLansingMI$323k1
The Trailhead Childrens MuseumCrested ButteCO$322k0
PLYMOUTH HISTORICAL SOCIETYPlymouthMI$322k0
MOROCCAN AMERICAN ASSOC OF COLUMBUSGahannaOH$322k0
SOCIETY FOR CREATIVE ANACHRONISM GULF WARS INCScotts ValleyCA$322k0
BALTIMORE THEATRE PROJECTBaltimoreMD$322k1
VINTAGE FIRE MUSEUM AND SAFETY EDUCATION CENTERJeffersonvilleIN$322k0
EIGHT O CLOCK THEATRE INCSafety HarborFL$322k0
HAMPTON THEATRE COMPANY INCQuogueNY$322k0
Akhmedova Ballet Foundation IncSilver SpringMD$322k1
FREDERICKSBURG FREE PRESS INCFredericksburgVA$322k0
CENTER FOR THE VISUAL ARTSWausauWI$322k1
CHILDRENS LEGACY THEATRE INCWashingtonDC$322k1
HAWTHORNE CABALLEROS DRUM & BUGLE CORPSWayneNJ$322k0
Walker's Pointe Center for the ArtsMilwaukeeWI$322k0
THISTLEWOOD FOUNDATION C/O MARIUSZ SMOLIJLafayetteLA$322k0
THE LATINO POLICY INSTITUTEProvidenceRI$322k0
BOWER CENTER FOR THE ARTSBedfordVA$322k1
Clover Choraliers Booster ClubCloverSC$322k0
GULF BEACH ART CENTERIndian Rocks BeachFL$322k2
STAGEWEST THEATER COMPANYDes MoinesIA$322k0
HANDS ON CHILDRENS MUSEUM INCJacksonvilleFL$322k1
WHOLE BACKSTAGE INCGuntersvilleAL$322k0
Story & Song Center for Arts & CultureFernandina BeachFL$322k0