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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 297 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
BOSTON ART REVIEW INCCambridgeMA$276k1
The Whitesbog Preservation Trust IncBrowns MillsNJ$276k1
Churchill Arts CouncilFallonNV$276k0
Community Little Theatre CorpAuburnME$276k0
LONE STAR FILM SOCIETY INCFort WorthTX$276k0
4C LABAzusaCA$276k1
KEOKUK UNION DEPOT FOUNDATIONKeokukIA$276k0
GREATER OTTUMWA VOCAL ARTS PROJECT AGPAFOttumwaIA$276k0
BIT COMMUNITY CENTER INCBaltimoreMD$276k2
JOHNSON COUNTY HISTORIAL SOCIETY INCClarksvilleAR$276k0
DISCOVERY EXPEDITION OF ST CHARLES MO INCSt CharlesMO$276k5
CHURCH HILL THEATRE INCChurch HillMD$276k0
THE REYNOLDS CENTER FOR TEACHING LEARNING AND CREATIVITY INCBostonMA$276k0
Friends of the Chief Foundation IncSteamboat SpringsCO$276k1
The Venue Theatre CompanyConiferCO$276k0
VAIL PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMYEdwardsCO$276k2
TALBOT COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL INCEastonMD$276k0
KIRKLAND ART CENTER INCClintonNY$276k0
THE SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ORFF COURSE INCORPORATEDSan FranciscoCA$276k0
High Plains Heritage Society IncSpearfishSD$276k1
Pittsburgh Youth ChorusPittsburghPA$276k1
HILLSDALE COMMUNITY THEATRE INCJonesvilleMI$276k0
BARE BAIT DANCEMissoulaMT$276k1
Nonprofit Technology Resource Institute IncAtlantaGA$276k1
South Carolina Summer Dance ConservatoryColumbiaSC$276k1
NATIONAL CAPITAL HISTORICAL MUSEUM OF TRANSPORTATION INCColesvilleMD$276k0
LATINO MUSIC EDUCATION NETWORKSan CarlosCA$276k1
MUSICAL ARTS SOCIETY OF NEW ORLEANSNew OrleansLA$276k1
GUILD OF AMERICAN LUTHIERSTacomaWA$275k3
GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTHilton Head IslandSC$275k0
ORION ART CENTERLake OrionMI$275k1
ARTS COUNCIL OF SOUTH WOOD COUNTYWisconsin RapidsWI$275k1
TWIN CITY BALLET COMPANYBloomingtonIL$275k0
FLEMING ENDOWMENTHoustonTX$275k1
Memorial for All Veterans of the Brazos Valley IncCollege StationTX$275k0
Metropolitan Ballet Theatre IncAlpharettaGA$275k1
MITCHELL COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCBeloitKS$275k1
FORT SMITH LITTLE THEATRE INCFort SmithAR$275k0
Compound LBLong BeachCA$275k0
THE WHITNEY PLAYERS INC C/O CINDY SIMELL-DEVOEHamdenCT$275k2
ACADEMY OF CRIMINAL SCIENCESGreenbeltMD$275k2
WYOMING STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETYWheatlandWY$275k0
FRANKLIN MINERAL MUSEUMFranklinNJ$275k0
ALFONSINA INCSan JuanPR$275k1
ALLENTOWN BAND INCAllentownPA$275k11
Kingston Chamber Music Festival At The University of Rhode Island IncKingstonRI$275k2
LADIES MUSICAL CLUB OF SEATTLESeattleWA$275k1
GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY LEGENDSGrand RapidsMI$275k0
UIL MUSIC REGION 24FriscoTX$275k2
IRON SPIKE INCWashingtonMO$275k0