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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 274 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Change The Play IncMeridenCT$315k0
UPTOWN ARTS FOUNDATIONCincinnatiOH$315k0
PIT & BALCONY INCSaginawMI$315k0
STRAWBERRY LANE FOUNDATION INCYarmouth PortMA$315k0
MILL CITY FARMERS MARKET CHARITABLE FUNDMinneapolisMN$315k1
THEATRE DYBBUKLos AngelesCA$315k2
SALVATION WILD MUSTANG SANCTUARY CORPMeekerOK$315k0
BLUE HERON RENAISSANCE CHOIR INCWest NewtonMA$315k1
SOUTHERN OREGON FILM SOCIETY ASHLAND INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVALAshlandOR$315k1
JOHNSON COUNTY CTR FOR THE ARTSMountain CityTN$315k1
JUNIOR APPALACHIAN MUSICIANS INCIndependenceVA$315k0
MARIETTA CENTER FOR THE ARTSMariettaPA$315k0
LITTLE THEATRE OF MONROE INCMonroeLA$315k0
UZBEK AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CHICAGOElginIL$315k0
FRIENDS OF THE CHILDRENS MUSEUMLa HabraCA$315k0
Yes And Collaborative ArtsPhiladelphiaPA$315k4
Hungarian Cultural Society IncHauppaugeNY$315k0
CENTRAL WISCONSIN CULTURAL CENTER INCWisc RapidsWI$315k0
KCUCARES FOUNDATIONTacomaWA$315k0
MASS Design Art & Technology Institute IncNew BedfordMA$315k0
VALLEY GUILDSalinasCA$315k0
Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum & Research Foundation IncGrosse Pointe ShoresMI$314k0
GRAND TRAVERSE LIGHTHOUSE MUSEUMNorthportMI$314k1
THE COLUMBUS HISTORICAL SOCIETYColumbusOH$314k0
Adam Theater INCNewtonMA$314k0
MUSEUM TRUSTEE ASSOCIATIONBaltimoreMD$314k1
Afro Caribbean Cultural Center IncWaterburyCT$314k0
AMACHE ALLIANCEEncinitasCA$314k0
THE LAWSON BOATING HERITAGE CENTER ON CHAUTAUQUA LAKEBemus PointNY$314k1
NEWPORT SOUTHBANK BRIDGE COMPANYNewportKY$314k0
Yellowstone Historic Center IncWest YellowstoneMT$314k1
FAR WEST HERITAGE ASSOCIATIONDurhamCA$314k0
Lima Company Memorial IncGrove CityOH$314k0
OPEN ARTS UNITEDManchesterNH$314k0
Magnolia Musical TheatreDripping SpringsTX$314k0
Colorado Ski Museum IncVailCO$314k1
JEANNE M WILLINGHAM FOUNDATION INCPampaTX$314k0
THE TALENT MACHINE COMPANY INCDavidsonvilleMD$314k2
THE PATRONS OF THE ARTS IN THE VATICAN MUSEUMS INCNorthvilleMI$314k0
VOX POPULI INCPhiladelphiaPA$314k1
FIELD OF VISION INCNew YorkNY$314k2
ARIZONA QUILTERS GUILDPhoenixAZ$314k0
PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY OF NEW BRAUNFELS INCNew BraunfelsTX$314k1
THE KING'S CANVAS GALLERY & STUDIOMontgomeryAL$314k1
FOUNDATION FOR SPIRITUALITY AND THE ARTS INCCharlestonSC$314k2
BATON ROUGE BLUES FESTIVAL & FOUNDATIONBaton RougeLA$314k1
CONNECTCR INCCedar RapidsIA$313k1
ARMENIAN SOCIETY OF LOS ANGELESGlendaleCA$313k0
TENTH MUSE FILMS INCLos AngelesCA$313k0
CLOVERDALE PLAYHOUSE INCMontgomeryAL$313k1