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 301 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
WESTERN ILLINOIS MUSEUMMacOmbIL$270k1
BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART FND TUAPittsburghPA$270k1
Malibu GivesMalibuCA$270k0
HIGH DESERT CHAMBER MUSIC INCBendOR$270k0
FOUNDATION FOR IDAHO HISTORYBoiseID$270k0
Chuck Jones Center For CreativityDana PointCA$270k0
MAJESTIC THEATREManchesterNH$270k4
CREATIVE ARTS FOR KIDS INCReadingMA$270k1
Cambridge Art AssociationCambridgeMA$270k1
SAN ANTONIO-MEXICAN FRIENDSHIP COUNCIL INCSan AntonioTX$270k0
BREWERY COLLECTIBLES CLUB OF AMERIC C/O FRANCIS KELCHFentonMO$270k0
THE ROOTS AND WINGS PROJECTLos AngelesCA$270k1
Diamond G Family Ranch FoundationBeckwourthCA$270k0
CHARITABLE MISSIONSan JoseCA$270k0
Middle Passage Ceremonies & Port Markers ProjectJacksonvilleFL$270k2
J AUSTIN WHITE CULTURAL CENTER INCEudoraAR$270k1
APPALACHIAN MUSIC HERITAGE FOUNDATIONMarionVA$270k0
Western Fremont Historical SocietySalidaCO$270k0
TACOMA ART MUSEUM ENDOWMENTDallasTX$270k1
Clewiston Sugar Festival IncClewistonFL$270k0
SWAN SCALING WALLS A NOTE AT A TIMELyndellPA$270k1
KANSAS SAMPLER FOUNDATION INCInmanKS$270k2
ON OUR OWN OF ROANOKE VALLEY INCRoanokeVA$270k1
Mummers Museum IncPhiladelphiaPA$270k0
FILM LAS CRUCESLas CrucesNM$270k0
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER OF RAPID CITY INCRapid CitySD$270k1
FLORICANTO DANCE THEATREPasadenaCA$270k0
Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts IncLittle FallsNY$270k1
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR ARTS IN HEALTHHoustonTX$270k0
SCOTTISH RITE MASONIC CENTERDenverCO$270k0
MOORE COUNTY ART ASSOCIATIONDumasTX$270k0
PEGASI NORTHWESTWest JordanUT$270k0
Elev8Life IncFort LauderdaleFL$269k0
PAPAHANA ALOHAAINA HAWAIIHonoluluHI$269k0
FORT LEONARD WOOD THRIFT SHOPFt Leonard WoodMO$269k0
SOUTHERN SHAKESPEARE COMPANYTallahasseeFL$269k1
BADGER STEAM & GAS ENGINE CLUB INCBarabooWI$269k0
PANOLA PLAYHOUSE INCSardisMS$269k0
Natural Bridges Media KSQDSanta CruzCA$269k0
MADISON BACH MUSICIANSMadisonWI$269k1
Red River Merchants Association IncAustinTX$269k0
CINCINNATI BOYCHOIR INCCincinnatiOH$269k0
GOWANDA'S HISTORIC HOLLYWOOD THEATER LTDGowandaNY$269k0
Korean American Association and Community Center of HoustonHoustonTX$269k1
Historic Elkhart River Queen IncElkhartIN$269k0
CENTER STAGE INCBiloxiMS$269k4
4 STATES YOUTH ATHLETIC ASSOCIATIONJoplinMO$269k0
ANTIQUE TOY AND FIREHOUSE MUSEUMBay CityMI$269k0
CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE MUSEUMWoodlandCA$269k1
Englewood Cultural Arts CenterEnglewoodCO$269k1