Skip to main content
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 295 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
OVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERSOviedoFL$280k0
KANSAS OIL & GAS MUSEUM FOUNDATIONGreat BendKS$280k0
Family Process Institute IncRochesterNY$280k0
THE PINELANDS CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY INCWaretownNJ$280k0
Kealakai Center For Pacific String TraditionsHonoluluHI$280k1
GRIEF DIALOGUESSeattleWA$279k0
Resonance Vocal EnsemblePortlandOR$279k3
GREEN MOUNTAIN PERFORMING ARTS INCWaterburyVT$279k1
OAK HARBOR MUSIC FESTIVALOak HarborWA$279k0
ROCKFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATIONRockfordIL$279k0
Rochester Oratorio Society IncRochesterNY$279k0
MUSIC AT KOHL MANSION INCBurlingameCA$279k1
Safford Downtown AssociationSaffordAZ$279k0
IN THE LIGHT ARTSPeculiarMO$279k0
SUMMERTIME GALLERY INCBrooklynNY$279k2
MONTAVILLA JAZZ FESTIVALPortlandOR$279k1
DESCENDANTS OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORSTullyNY$279k1
WATER PEOPLE THEATER GROUP NFPChicagoIL$279k1
Historic Salem Courthouse Preservation Assocation IncSalemNY$279k0
BULGARIAN ARTS AND CULTURAL EXCHANGEKildeerIL$279k0
OMAHA GIRLS ROCK INCOmahaNE$279k1
Cormont MusicSugar HillNH$279k5
ALLEGHENY RIVERSTONE CENTER FOR THE ARTSFoxburgPA$279k2
LAKE SUPERIOR YOUTH CHORUS INCDuluthMN$279k3
HISTORY BOOK FESTIVAL AT LEWES INCLewesDE$279k0
Columbia Art House IncPaducahKY$279k0
PENN SQUARE OPERALancasterPA$279k0
ZLOVITZ FOUNDATIONVisaliaCA$279k0
LIGON CONTEMPORARY ART FOUNDATIONCharlotteNC$279k0
THE SWEET STUFF FOUNDATIONPalm DesertCA$279k0
BARABOO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INCBarabooWI$279k0
INVICTUS THEATREChicagoIL$279k1
Vanguard CultureSan DiegoCA$279k0
Crossing Cultures Ministry IncWestminsterMD$279k0
Uptown Music Theater of Highland ParkHighland ParkIL$279k0
HOMER LAUGHLIN CHINA COLLECTORS ASSOCIATIONSpringfieldMO$279k0
HEART FOR DANCE D/B/A HEARTS IN STEPGrand RapidsMI$279k1
HICKORY BALLET AND PERFORMING ARTSHickoryNC$279k2
CRESTED BUTTE MOUNTAIN HERITAGE MUSEUM INCCrested ButteCO$279k2
FLAMENCO WORKS INCAlbuquerqueNM$279k2
ARTS COUNCIL NAPA VALLEYNapaCA$279k1
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA IN MARYLANDBaltimoreMD$278k0
PACDA INCLake ForestCA$278k0
INTERCOURSE LIBRARY INCIntercoursePA$278k1
THE WYCK ASSOCIATIONPhiladelphiaPA$278k1
CABALLEROS-PALM SPRINGS GAY MEN'S CHORUSPalm SpringsCA$278k0
American Heritage Education Foundation IncHoustonTX$278k2
THE G H PAPE FOUNDATIONWacoTX$278k0
PUERTO RICAN FOLKLORIC DANCE INCAustinTX$278k1
OGDENSBURG COMMAND PERFORMANCE INCOgdensburgNY$278k1