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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 280 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
The Claflin Hill Music Performance Foundation IncMilfordMA$305k2
Denver Actors Fund IncDenverCO$305k0
THE PIATIGORSKY FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$305k2
DOWNTOWN CARLISLE ASSOCIATIONCarlislePA$305k1
Endicott Performing Arts Center IncEndicottNY$304k2
OPERA LAS VEGASLas VegasNV$304k0
The McDaniel Tichenor House IncMonroeGA$304k0
NASHVILLE ARCADE ARTS PROGRAM INCNashvilleTN$304k1
Oregon Arts WatchPortlandOR$304k3
MUSIC AID NORTHWESTBellevueWA$304k0
NORTH SHORE CHILDREN'S THEATRE INCMarbleheadMA$304k1
RAVEL DANCE COMPANY INCRestonVA$304k1
Jersey City Theater Center IncJersey CityNJ$304k0
JUNCTION DANCE COSalt Lake CityUT$304k0
SHERWOOD FOREST PLANTATION FOUNDATIONCharles CityVA$304k0
COMMITTEE FOR CATSKILL RESORT MUSEUM INCEllenvilleNY$304k0
INDIANA LATINO EXPOIndianapolisIN$304k1
DISCOVER CHILDREN'S MUSEUMChehalisWA$304k0
Withers Collection IncMemphisTN$304k0
CORSICANAS PALACE THEATRECorsicanaTX$304k0
AMERICAN AFFAIRS FOUNDATION INCBostonMA$304k0
THE GEORGE A ROMERO FOUNDATIONPittsburghPA$304k0
NEW LIFE STUDIOS INCJamestownTN$304k0
BRIDGETOWN CONSERVATORY OF MUSICAL THEATREPortlandOR$304k0
ACADEMY OF BALLET ARTS INCSt PetersburgFL$304k3
Center for Hmong Arts and TalentSaint PaulMN$304k0
CPS Lives NFP DBA Artists in Public SchoolsChicagoIL$304k0
STATE STREET ACADEMY OF MUSIC AT ST LAWRENCEHarrisburgPA$304k1
OZARK MOONSHINE & MUSIC FESTIVALFairfield BayAR$304k0
EBENEZER HISTORICAL SOCIETYSpringfieldMO$304k0
El Ballet Folklorico EstudiantilFlintMI$304k1
Italian American Heritage Foundation IncSan JoseCA$303k0
SPENCERTOWN ACADEMY SOCIETYSpencertownNY$303k0
ARTISTS' ENSEMBLE THEATER INCRockfordIL$303k2
THERESA ALESSANDRA RUSSO FOUNDATION INCLido BeachNY$303k2
Unicorn RiotMinneapolisMN$303k3
RENSSELAER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCTroyNY$303k1
AMERICAN TURKISH ASSOC OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAGranada HillsCA$303k0
MEDIA MATTERS FOR WOMENBellevueWA$303k1
INDO AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL INCNew YorkNY$303k0
CHATHAM VILLAGE CHARITABLE TRUSTPittsburghPA$303k0
DRAWCHANGE INCAtlantaGA$303k0
4theVilleSaint LouisMO$303k0
PROVIDENCE NEIGHBORHOOD PLANTING PROGRAMProvidenceRI$303k1
COLORADO MUSIC BRIDGEDenverCO$303k2
INDIANA ARTISAN INCCarmelIN$303k1
INDIAN FINE ARTS ACADEMY OF SAN DIEGORancho Santa FeCA$303k0
BARDSTOWN HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONBardstownKY$303k1
Smoke & Barrel IncWestlakeLA$303k2
HIERONYMUS MUELLER FAMILY FOUNDATIONDecaturIL$303k0