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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 307 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
NOOR THEATRE INCNew YorkNY$262k2
DOWNTOWN BELMONT DEVELOPMENT ASSOCBelmontNC$262k0
THE MARBLEHEAD ARTS ASSOCIATION INCMarbleheadMA$262k0
BELMONT CHAPEL FOUNDATIONNewportRI$262k0
MYAP INCBellrose ManorNY$262k0
MULTICULTURAL MUSIC GROUP INCBronxNY$262k0
SEA PINES FOREST PRESERVE FOUNDATIONHilton Head IslandSC$262k2
HSHS CHORAL BOOSTER CLUBHolly SpringsNC$262k0
THEATER 150OjaiCA$262k0
KINGMAN PUBLIC LIBRARYKingmanKS$262k0
QUE-OSCharlotteNC$262k1
Fathers and Sons TogetherSeattleWA$262k1
BORDER CROSSINGSaint PaulMN$262k5
MONTEREY PENINSULA BALLET THEATRE CORPCarmelCA$262k0
GENEVA HIST SOC-ROSE HILL ENDPenningtonNJ$262k1
ROCKPORT CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICTRockportTX$262k1
HUNAKAI STUDIO OF FINE ARTS INCFoxboroMA$262k4
Using Art to Create a Better WorldFayettevilleAR$262k0
CAPITOL MOVEMENT INCWashingtonDC$262k1
Centro Cultural Hebraico Benetzion CorpHollywoodFL$262k0
PARK THEATRE CIVIC CENTRE INCNorth VernonIN$262k0
AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR TIBETAN CULTURAL PRESERVATION DBA ARI BHODTehachapiCA$262k2
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN ART FOUNDATIONBethesdaMD$262k0
CHENANGO COUNTY COUNCIL OF THE ARTSNorwichNY$262k1
James Toland Vocal ArtsOaklandCA$261k2
SUFFOLK COUNTY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION INCDix HillsNY$261k18
CAROLINE COUNTY COUNCIL OF ARTS INCDentonMD$261k1
SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAULPinetopAZ$261k0
Canyon Cinema FoundationSan FranciscoCA$261k1
GREEN BAY PACKER HALL OF FAME INCGreen BayWI$261k0
DEARBORN ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY INCDearbornMI$261k0
CENTRAL VIRGINIA BATTLEFIELDS TRUSTFredericksburgVA$261k1
OPERA STEAMBOATSteamboat SpringsCO$261k1
Alliance for Historic HillsboroughHillsboroughNC$261k1
Avery Copp MuseumGrotonCT$261k1
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE OF GREENWICH INCGreenwichCT$261k0
Hopewell MuseumHopewellNJ$261k1
CHAMBER MUSIC ALBUQUERQUEAlbuquerqueNM$261k0
KENTUCKY LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL FOUNDATIONRichmondKY$261k0
Cordial Eye Gallery and Artist Space IncMarstons MillsMA$261k0
FRIENDS OF THE VISUAL ARTSSalemOR$261k0
INDIGENOUSWAYS INCORPORATEDSanta FeNM$261k2
Legendary Productions CLO IncRedlandsCA$261k0
San Diego Collaborative Arts ProjectSan DiegoCA$261k0
BOSTON DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL INCWest NewtonMA$261k0
Suncoast Classic Jazz IncLargoFL$261k0
IRISH DANCE TEACHERS ASS'N OF MID AMERICAHouse SpringsMO$261k0
VALVERDE STAGE PRODUCTIONS INCRancho CucamongaCA$261k0
SOAR REGIONAL ARTS INCSt MichaelMN$261k0
GREENWICH ART SOCIETY INCGreenwichCT$261k4