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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 303 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
JACKSONVILLE SCOTTISH HIGHLAND GAMES INCGlen St MaryFL$268k0
BRAVE WORLD FOUNDATIONPasadenaCA$268k0
Morgantown Theatre CompanyMorgantownWV$268k0
Petaluma Community Access IncPetalumaCA$268k0
THE RAPPAHANNOCK ASSOCIATION FOR THE ARTS AND THE COMMUNITY INCWashingtonVA$268k0
VICTORIA COMMUNITY THEATRE INC DBA THEATRE VICTORIAVictoriaTX$267k0
WEAVING GUILDS OF OREGONThe DallesOR$267k0
LAGUNA DANCE FESTIVALLaguna BeachCA$267k1
LYRASaint PaulMN$267k2
Colorado Springs Philharmonic FoundationColorado SpringsCO$267k1
Music City Artist DevelopmentSan FranciscoCA$267k1
CHRIS BABCOCK ART PREPSan FranciscoCA$267k1
L'ITALO AMERICAN FOUNDATIONAltadenaCA$267k0
NORTHBROOK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRANorthbrookIL$267k0
VIRGINIA QUILT MUSEUMDaytonVA$267k0
UPTOWN STRING BAND PHILADELPHIA MUMMERS INCLanghornePA$267k0
Green Bay Community Theater IncGreen BayWI$267k1
INTERNATIONAL TUBA EUPHONIUM ASSOCIATIONNew LondonCT$267k1
Community Youth Orchestra of Bucks CoNewtownPA$267k2
THE VILLAGE REPERTORY COMPANYCharlestonSC$267k0
THE BELINGA FOUNDATIONFort SmithAR$267k0
RADIO LOLLIPOP (USA) INCNorth Palm BeachFL$267k0
ARTARIASt PaulMN$267k0
MT HOOD CULTURAL CENTER AND MUSEUMGovernment CampOR$267k2
GOMEZ FOUNDATION FOR MILL HOUSEMarlboroNY$267k0
OREGON STATE SOCIETY OF DARSalemOR$267k0
Fund for BRIC IncBrooklynNY$267k0
ARTS ENTER CAPE CHARLES INCCape CharlesVA$267k0
Inside Out MediaOaklandCA$267k1
DANA ADOBE NIPOMO AMIGOSNipomoCA$267k0
COWTOWN BIRTHPLACE OF WESTERN SWINGFort WorthTX$267k0
DOWNRIVER YOUTH PERFORMING ARTS CENTERTrentonMI$266k4
Native Daughters of the Golden West Charitable Foundation IncSan FranciscoCA$266k0
EMPIRE FILES INCPortlandOR$266k3
KULU MELE AFRICAN DANCE AND DRUM ENSEMBLEPhiladelphiaPA$266k2
HISTORIANS OF NETHERLANDISH ARTAmherstMA$266k0
CATSKILL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INCOneontaNY$266k2
PUERTO RICO PUBLIC AND APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES WORKSHOP INCSan JuanPR$266k3
Ely Folk SchoolElyMN$266k1
VISIONBOX STUDIODenverCO$266k1
ARTS LONGVIEWLongviewTX$266k1
Tamil Sangam of Missouri IncBallwinMO$266k0
ARIZONA ALOHA FESTIVALS INCTempeAZ$266k0
BALKAN CULTURAL CENTERNorth HillsCA$266k1
The JarJamaica PlainMA$266k1
INITIATIVES OF CHANGE INCRichmondVA$266k0
COMMUNITY MEDIA OF THE FOOTHILLSMonroviaCA$266k1
MUSIC THEATRE WESTSmithfieldUT$266k1
CORVALLIS YOUTH SYMPHONY ASSOCCorvallisOR$266k1
GASLIGHT THEATRE INCShinerTX$266k0