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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 311 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
UNITED PERCUSSION AND ARTS INCVoorheesNJ$256k0
ARMENIAN HERITAGE TRIBUTE AND GENOCIDE MWatertownMA$256k0
TUYO THEATRE INCSan DiegoCA$256k0
METROPOLITAN GOLF ASSOCIATION FOUNDATIONElmsfordNY$256k1
PURPLE SILK MUSIC EDUCATION FOUNDATIONOaklandCA$256k0
BAILEY FOUNDATIONSaint LouisMO$256k1
MT PLEASANT ARTIST GUILDMt PleasantSC$256k0
RUSH PHILANTHROPIC ARTS FOUNDATION INCPhiladelphiaPA$255k0
FAIRFIELD CENTER STAGE INCFairfieldCT$255k2
GEORGIA MUSIC FOUNDATION INCMaconGA$255k1
SUMMERSVILLE PUBLISHING ENTHUSIASTSSummersvilleMO$255k0
BORDANDO NUESTRAS RAICESMoreno ValleyCA$255k0
MANHATTAN GRAPHICS CENTER INCBrooklynNY$255k2
Contemporary Art GroupLos AngelesCA$255k1
VOICES OF OUR NATIONS ARTS FOUNDATION INCMiamiFL$255k0
INDIGENOUS ROOTS & REPARATION FNDWenatcheeWA$255k0
BASS FISHING HALL OF FAME INCLittle RockAR$255k0
NORTH CAROLINA TRAPSHOOTERS HALL OFDurhamNC$255k0
JAMES C RAMOS CALIFORNIA HERITAGE INDIAN COLLABORAHighlandCA$255k0
ASSOC OF ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN OF PORTER INC CHESTERTON ART CENTERChestertonIN$255k1
ECOARTS OF LAKE COUNTYMiddletownCA$255k1
Florida Supreme Court Historical Society IncTallahasseeFL$255k0
OPUS COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL INCEldersburgMD$255k1
BLUE BAMBOO CENTER FOR THE ARTS INCWinter ParkFL$255k1
Springfield Illinois African American History FoundatioSpringfieldIL$255k0
THOMAS DUBOIS HORMEL FOUNDATION INCFort LauderdaleFL$255k0
Rangeley Lakes Region Historical SocietyRangeleyME$255k1
LYDIA JOHNSON DANCE INCSouth OrangeNJ$255k1
EASTLAND FINE ARTS ASSOCIATIONEastlandTX$255k1
HST CULTURAL ARTS INCRockvilleMD$255k1
THE FRIENDS OF THE FARM AT HILLTOP INCSuffieldCT$255k0
CODY COUNTRY ART LEAGUECodyWY$255k0
ROLLS-ROYCE HERITAGE TRUST ALLISON BRANCH INCIndianapolisIN$255k0
THE WAY OF THE RAIN INCSanta FeNM$255k0
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICABrooklynNY$255k1
SSJ INCSistersOR$255k1
GUARDIANS OF SOUNDPittsburghPA$254k1
ZACHOR HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE FOUNDATIONLas VegasNV$254k3
FOUNDATION OF JEWISH BROADCASTING INew YorkNY$254k0
NEW PLACE PLAYERS NEW YORK INCNew YorkNY$254k0
Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company IncNew YorkNY$254k0
BAKER ARTS CENTER INCLiberalKS$254k0
ELECTRIC LODGEVeniceCA$254k0
ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN ARTISTS ASSOCIATION INCSan FranciscoCA$254k0
Dell Loy Hansen Utah Symphony Foundation Symphony FoundationLoganUT$254k0
ART COUNCILOF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INCNaplesFL$254k0
Corsicana Community Playhouse IncCorsicanaTX$254k1
THREE MAPLES RENAISSANCE CORPORATIONManchesterNH$254k0
SARAH JAMES FULCHER FOUNDATIONAtlanticNC$254k0
FRIENDS OF PLAQUEMINE LOCK STATE HISTORIC SITE INCPlaquemineLA$254k0