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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 304 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
BOOTHEEL YOUTH MUSEUM INCKennettMO$266k0
HEADFIRST ARTS & MEDIA INCEl CerritoCA$266k1
ZEPHYRUS ARTS INSTITUTETulsaOK$266k0
HERITAGE RADIO NETWORK INCBrooklynNY$266k0
SAGINAW CHORAL SOCIETY INCSaginawMI$266k1
Trail of Tears Association IncWebbers FallsOK$266k1
M&D PRODUCTIONSNorth ConwayNH$266k0
ACMP FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$266k1
GEORGE RODRIGUE FOUNDATION OF THE ARTS INCNew OrleansLA$266k0
OPERA IN WILLIAMSBURG INCWilliamsburgVA$266k1
The Williams ProjectSeattleWA$266k2
DULCE UPFRONT LABSFresnoCA$266k3
OUR SILENT CANVASWoodstockNY$266k0
GUERILLA OPERA INCBostonMA$266k0
PROFESSIONAL ARTISTIC RESEARCH PROJECTSCincinnatiOH$266k4
GENESIUS CORPORATIONReadingPA$266k0
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL INCSan FranciscoCA$266k1
Bartram Trail High School Band Boosters Association IncSaint JohnsFL$266k0
COLUMBUS MUSIC AND ART ACADEMYDublinOH$266k2
ADEFUA CULTURAL EDUCATION WORKSHOPSeattleWA$266k1
The Ballet School of StamfordStamfordCT$266k1
SOMERLED CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONDuxburyMA$266k1
HENDERSON MUSIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY INCHendersonKY$266k0
MISSION RISE INCNorth HillsCA$266k1
Three Village Historical SocietyEast SetauketNY$266k0
INNERRHYTHMS INCTruckeeCA$265k0
ACADEMY OF MUSIC OUTREACHChula VistaCA$265k1
SBWM FOUNDATION INCSuffernNY$265k0
HOLE IN THE ROCK FOUNDATIONBluffUT$265k0
SAMATVA INCWestfieldNJ$265k0
GIRLS ROCK DES MOINESWindsor HeightsIA$265k2
DEFENBAUGH CHARITABLE TRUSTAnconaIL$265k4
HAZLETON ART LEAGUEHazletonPA$265k0
Erace the Hate CorpMiamiFL$265k0
BOSTON DANCE THEATERMedfordMA$265k2
BARRIER-FREE INCSykesvilleMD$265k1
THE SEDALIA CENTER INCBig IslandVA$265k0
SMITH ROLLA TUW FBO CHARITIESSaint LouisMO$265k1
Studio 395 FoundationLake ElsinoreCA$265k2
VANGURI FOUNDATION OF AMERICASugar LandTX$265k0
COMMUNITY PLAYERS OF SALISBURY INCSalisburyMD$265k0
CITY SOUND DRUM AND BUGLE CORPSLong BeachCA$265k1
Fadeyev Ballet IncGreenvaleNY$265k2
MANSHIP ARTIST RESIDENCE AND STUDIOS INCGloucesterMA$265k1
SWEAT MORIN HOMESTEADSanfordME$265k0
ARMED FORCES TICKETS ASSOCIATION - CINCINNATI INCCincinnatiOH$265k0
B-17 ALLIANCE FOUNDATIONSalemOR$265k2
THE HARVARD KROKODILOES INCConcordMA$265k0
LATEANew YorkNY$265k1
CHESTER COUNTY BAR FOUNDATIONWest ChesterPA$265k0