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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 272 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
OPEN FIST THEATRE COMPANYVan NuysCA$318k0
SINGOMAHA INCOmahaNE$318k1
LOST PINES ART LEAGUEBastropTX$318k0
Rain City Rock Camp for GirlsSeattleWA$318k2
Lower Adirondack Regional Arts CouncilGlens FallsNY$318k0
ROMARE BEARDEN FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$318k0
UPRISING THEATERChicagoIL$318k0
ORISSA CULTURE CENTERHoustonTX$318k0
TAPESTRY FOLKDANCE CENTERMinneapolisMN$318k1
INFFINITO ART & CULTURAL FOUNDATION INCMiami BeachFL$318k2
THEATRE MACON INCMaconGA$318k1
OPERA COMPANY OF MIDDLEBURYMiddleburyVT$318k1
COMMUNITY SPIRIT INCAdamsTN$318k0
New City Players IncFort LauderdaleFL$318k2
NORTHEAST FLORIDA JOURNALISM COLLECTIVE INCJacksonvilleFL$318k1
Access ArtStuartFL$317k2
ACANSA ARTS FESTIVALNorth Little RockAR$317k1
SPAIN-USA FOUNDATIONWashingtonDC$317k0
HELEN KELLER BIRTHPLACE FOUNDATIONTuscumbiaAL$317k0
TEATRO HISPANO DE DALLASDallasTX$317k1
EXPLORER'S BIBLE STUDY ASSOCIATIONDicksonTN$317k1
IDAHO CENTRAL SPOKANE VALLEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTERSpokane ValleyWA$317k0
NORTHEAST ATLANTA BALLET ENSEMBLE INCLilburnGA$317k1
COUNTY ECONOMIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE INCOverland ParkKS$317k1
KOKANDY PRODUCTIONSChicagoIL$317k1
SOUTH JERSEY TRACK COACHES ASSOCIATION INCMarltonNJ$317k0
MA'S HOUSE & BIPOC ART STUDIO INCSouthamptonNY$317k2
IGNITE THEATRE COMPANYSt LouisMO$317k0
ASOCIACION DE JALISCIENSES UNIDOS EN ACCIONWhittierCA$317k0
STEELVILLE ARTS COUNCILSteelvilleMO$317k0
Global Gallery IncColumbusOH$317k0
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE PHOENIXVILLE AREAPhoenixvillePA$317k0
DAI DAO TAM KY PHO DO-TOA THANH TAY NINHWestminsterCA$317k0
SOUND IMPACTFairfax StationVA$317k4
The Center for Khmer Studies IncWashingtonDC$317k1
KENTWOOD PLAYERSLos AngelesCA$317k0
TROY-PIKE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER INCTroyAL$317k0
KANSAS SPORTS HALL OF FAMEWichitaKS$317k1
Albedo Arts Community IncSacramentoCA$317k1
ARTS MISSION OAK CLIFFDallasTX$317k1
GWICH'IN SOCIAL AND CULTURAL INSTITUTE OF ALASKA INCFairbanksAK$317k1
MOSS POINT MAIN STREET ASSOCIATIONMoss PointMS$317k0
Alaska Theatre of YouthAnchorageAK$317k1
Crawfordsville Main StreetCrawfordsvilleIN$317k0
RICKENBACKER-WOODS TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL PARK INCColumbusOH$317k1
The Buffalo Club Preservation Foundation IncBuffaloNY$317k0
Atlanta Workshop Players IncRoswellGA$317k0
WASHINGTON COMMUNITY THEATER INCWashingtonIA$317k0
GLOUCESTER ARTS ON MAIN INCGloucesterVA$317k0
RAY OF LIGHT THEATRESan FranciscoCA$317k0