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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 292 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
NAPO INCMinneapolisMN$284k0
MTVARTS INCMount VernonOH$284k3
OutSpokaneSpokaneWA$284k1
MONTEREY COUNTY FILM COMMISSIONMontereyCA$284k0
TOUR-ED MINE & MUSEUMTarentumPA$284k2
WEST POINT COMMUNITY THEATERWest PointNE$284k0
BUENA VISTA HERITAGEBuena VistaCO$284k0
LAYERHYTHM PRODUCTIONS INCNew YorkNY$284k1
GULLAH MUSEUM OF HILTON HEAD INC GULLAH MUSEUM OF HILTON HEADINCHilton Head IslandSC$284k0
The Gaden Sharste Cultural FoundationLong BeachCA$284k0
SARASOTA JEWISH THEATRE INCSarasotaFL$284k0
FRIENDS OF THE BONNIE KATE INCElizabethtonTN$284k0
H LEE WHITE MARITIME MUSEUM OSWEGOOswegoNY$284k0
PLAYMAKERS LABORATORY THEATREChicagoIL$284k0
PERFORMING ARTS SERVING ACADIANA INC PASALafayetteLA$284k0
ANOKA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYAnokaMN$284k1
THE HAITIAN DEVELOPMENT CENTER OF DELMARVA INCSalisburyMD$284k0
Island County Historical SocietyCoupevilleWA$284k1
SOO VISUAL ARTS CENTER INCMinneapolisMN$284k1
DTLA Proud Festival IncLos AngelesCA$284k0
OVER OUR HEAD PLAYERS INCRacineWI$283k0
KONKAU ASSOCIATION CORPORATIONOrovilleCA$283k0
HMONG SOUTHEAST PUAVPHEEJ INCHickoryNC$283k0
CENTER FOR MUSIC ECOSYSTEMSHuntsvilleAL$283k0
CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES GROUP INCHewittNJ$283k0
Old Red Courthouse IncDallasTX$283k1
LEXINGTON COUNTY ARTS ASSOCIATIONLexingtonSC$283k6
Facility Foundation NFPChicagoIL$283k0
HAWAII CHILDRENS THEATRELihueHI$283k1
GENERATIONS IN JAZZ FOUNDATIONLafayetteCA$283k0
HOLBROOK COMMUNITY ACCESS AND MEDIA INCHolbrookMA$283k0
SCOTTISH SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON INCCharlestonSC$283k0
MARA BROCK AKIL'S WRITERS' COLONY FOUNDATIONLos AngelesCA$283k1
REDWOOD DISCOVERY MUSEUMEurekaCA$283k0
Alaska Youth OrchestrasAnchorageAK$283k1
Leelanau Historical SocietyLelandMI$283k1
GENERAL PATTON MEMORIAL INCChiriaco SummitCA$283k0
ASIAN DISTRICT CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONOklahoma CityOK$283k0
THE MARITIME HERITAGE FOUNDATION OF BEAUFORT NC INCBeaufortNC$283k0
LAST WHISPERS INCLos AngelesCA$283k0
JUST FACTS INCConroeTX$283k1
OIL CITY CIVIC CENTER INCOil CityPA$283k0
Johnson Historical Museum of the SouthwestPhoenixAZ$283k2
Brunswick Little TheatreSouthportNC$283k0
TALKING EYES MEDIA INCMontclairNJ$283k2
MUSIC EDUCATION & PERFORMING ARTISTS ASSOCIATION (MEPAA)EugeneOR$283k1
JOSHUA TREE FOUNDATION FOR ARTS AND ECOLOGYJoshua TreeCA$283k0
SINGERS MINNESOTA CHORAL ARTISTSSt PaulMN$283k1
FARM ARTS COLLECTIVE INCDamacusPA$282k1
NATIONAL INDEPENDENT VENUE FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$282k0