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Updated through 2024NTEE A · Arts, Culture & Humanities

Arts, Culture & Humanities nonprofitexecutive pay

Median top-executive pay across 16,157 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
$59,800
The typical arts, culture & humanities nonprofit's highest-paid executive earns $59,800 in total reported compensation.
25th pct
$24k
75th pct
$107k
90th pct
$194k
16,157 organizations · 2019 – 2024
Percentile distribution

Where the middle 50% lands.

Half earn between $24k and $107k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $194k, roughly 3.2 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.

PercentileTotal compMeans
90th$193,685Top 10% of earners
75th$107,34225% earn more than this
50th · median$59,800The typical executive
25th$23,76025% earn less than this
10th$7,50010% 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$15k$38,108$67k11,178
$1M – $10M$87k$125,336$180k4,194
$10M – $100M$242k$341,128$522k736
$100M – $500M$562k$771,220$1.3M45
Revenue bands with fewer than 5 organizations are not shown.
By role

Benchmark a specific Arts, Culture & Humanities role

Drill into median pay for individual leadership roles within arts, culture & humanities nonprofits.

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 40,937 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

40,937 organizations · Page 31 of 819

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Independent Arts & MediaSan FranciscoCA$5.4M7
OMAHA THEATER COMPANYOmahaNE$5.4M3
National Art Education AssociationAlexandriaVA$5.4M5
FORT WORTH ART ASSOCIATION ENDOWMENT FOUNDATIONFort WorthTX$5.4M0
COSMOSPHERE INCHutchinsonKS$5.4M1
THE CHINATI FOUNDATIONMarfaTX$5.4M4
SKOWHEGAN SCHOOL OF PAINTING AND SCULPTURE INCNew YorkNY$5.4M3
SANTA ROSA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATIONSanta RosaCA$5.4M5
THE COMMUNITY THEATRE OF CEDAR RAPIDS INCCedar RapidsIA$5.4M1
BOXCAR THEATRE INCSan FranciscoCA$5.4M2
BAY STREET THEATRE FESTIVAL INCSag HarborNY$5.4M3
COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS INCOrlandoFL$5.4M3
IYRS SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY & TRADES SCHOOL INCNewportRI$5.4M3
GENERAL SOCIETY OF MAYFLOWER DESCENDANTSPlymouthMA$5.4M3
CENTER OF CREATIVE ARTSSaint LouisMO$5.4M4
CITYSERVE INTERNATIONALSpringfieldMO$5.4M3
OAKLEAF ENDOWMENT TRUST FOR THE MINNESOTA ORCHESTRAMinneapolisMN$5.4M0
NORTH FORK ARTS CENTER INCGreenportNY$5.4M0
PUENTE DE LA COSTA SURPescaderoCA$5.4M4
MARTHA'S VINEYARD PRESERVATION TRUST INCEdgartownMA$5.3M1
MONTPELIER FOUNDATIONOrangeVA$5.3M3
CENTER FOR NEW MUSIC SAN FRANCISCO INCSan FranciscoCA$5.3M4
FANTASY THEATRE FACTORY INCMiamiFL$5.3M1
THE CLAY STUDIOPhiladelphiaPA$5.3M1
THEATREWORKS SILICON VALLEYRedwood CityCA$5.3M7
San Francisco PlayhouseSan FranciscoCA$5.3M2
CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETYSan FranciscoCA$5.3M1
STEM FROM DANCE INCBrooklynNY$5.3M1
MUSIC SHOWCASE FESTIVALS INC NONEReadingPA$5.3M0
THE LYNNWOOD FOUNDATIONCharlotteNC$5.3M5
CITYSIDE JOURNALISM INITIATIVEOaklandCA$5.3M10
KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY SOCIETY INCORPORATEDKnoxvilleTN$5.3M4
LYRIC THEATRE OF OKLAHOMA INCOklahoma CityOK$5.3M2
THE GHETTO FILM SCHOOL INCBronxNY$5.3M5
JAMES A MICHENER ART MUSEUMDoylestownPA$5.3M2
CAROLINA ART ASSOCIATION DBA GIBBES MUSEUM OF ARTCharlestonSC$5.3M4
CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUMChattanoogaTN$5.3M2
AVON THEATRE FILM CENTER INCStamfordCT$5.3M1
JOLIET AREA HISTORICAL MUSEUMJolietIL$5.3M0
KALAMAZOO INSTITUTE OF ARTSKalamazooMI$5.3M4
NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM AT STOCKBRIDGE INCStockbridgeMA$5.3M6
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERYMount RoyalNJ$5.3M1
COLONEL JAMES N PRITZKER LIBRARY OF THE CITIZEN SOLDIERKenoshaWI$5.3M3
WSKG PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCILVestalNY$5.2M3
SHORASHIM INCChicagoIL$5.2M1
Latinos ProgresandoChicagoIL$5.2M1
GREAT LAKES THEATER FESTIVAL INCClevelandOH$5.2M3
USS CONSTITUTION MUSEUM INCBostonMA$5.2M4
The Laguna PlayhouseLaguna BeachCA$5.2M6
ARIZONA MUSICFEST INCScottsdaleAZ$5.2M2