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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 273 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
CONNECTICUT WOMENS HALL OF FAME INCNew HavenCT$317k2
FORGOTTEN COAST CULTURAL COALITIONPort Saint JoeFL$317k0
NATIONAL STEEPLECHASE MUSEUM INCCamdenSC$317k0
Diaz Music InstituteKingwoodTX$317k0
GOLD COAST RAILROAD MUSEUM INCMiamiFL$317k0
AMC MUSEUM FOUNDATION INCDover AfbDE$317k0
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ARTS & CULTURE INCNew YorkNY$317k0
FRIENDS OF ISRAEL STORYNew YorkNY$317k0
HUMANITIES AMPEDBaton RougeLA$317k4
BELFAST CURLING CLUBBelfastME$316k0
ALABAMA RIVER REGION BALLET SCHOOLMontgomeryAL$316k1
HEART CITY THEATER COValentineNE$316k0
Arts for Kids IncWest OrangeNJ$316k2
THE OPERA ATELIER INCMiamiFL$316k4
ART SANDY SPRINGS INCAtlantaGA$316k1
DAWSONVILLE HISTORY MUSEUM INCDawsonvilleGA$316k0
BAYOU REGIONAL ARTS COUNCILHoumaLA$316k2
DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR NYC LTDNew YorkNY$316k0
HUMBOLDT ARTS COUNCIL INCEurekaCA$316k1
LURAY COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONLurayKS$316k0
BRONZELENS ATLANTA FILM FESTIVALAtlantaGA$316k0
ABLE - Artists Breaking Limits & ExpectationsChicagoIL$316k1
THE LISTENING ROOM INC DBA - THE LARK & THE LISTENING ROOMHastingsNE$316k0
MASA CENTERBattle CreekMI$316k6
Miami Biennale IncMiamiFL$316k0
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE COLONIAL DAMES OF AMER IN THE ST OF COLORADDenverCO$316k0
Gainesville Little Theater IncGainesvilleFL$316k0
The Saco River TheatreBar MillsME$316k1
Whittier Historical SocietyWhittierCA$316k0
LIGHTS UP THEATER INCSanta BarbaraCA$316k3
MILWAUKEE ARTIST RESOURCE NETWORKMilwaukeeWI$316k1
STOVE WORKSChattanoogaTN$316k2
FORUM THEATRE COMPANY WICHITA INCWichitaKS$315k0
MIAMI VALLEY BALLET THEATRE INCHamiltonOH$315k1
REGIONAL THEATRE OF THE PALOUSEPullmanWA$315k2
THE ROBIN Y AND FRANK M SEMPLE FAMILY FOUNDATIONTulsaOK$315k0
Opera for the Young IncMadisonWI$315k1
Black Design CollectiveLos AngelesCA$315k0
FREMONT AREA ART ASSOCIATION INCFremontNE$315k0
PHILANTHROFILMS INCQuitmanGA$315k2
Center for Contemporary ArtsAbileneTX$315k1
ATLANTA DANCE THEATRE INCAlpharettaGA$315k1
THE DANCE HALLKitteryME$315k0
BETHESDA MEETING HOUSE FOUNDATION % HENRY LEVINEBethesdaMD$315k0
DANCE AND DIALOGUELos AngelesCA$315k0
INDIA ASSOCIATION OF GREENVILLEINCGreenvilleSC$315k0
THE GUNFLINT TRAIL HISTORICAL SOCIETYGrand MaraisMN$315k1
ACTORS YOUTH THEATREGilbertAZ$315k0
NINEPIPES MUSEUM OF EARLY MONTANACharloMT$315k1
Van Wyk Charitable Foundation IncChicagoIL$315k0