Skip to main content
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 313 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Standing Bear Native American Foundation IncPonca CityOK$253k1
DOGWOOD CRAFTERS INCDillsboroNC$253k0
Lead With CharacterCharlotteNC$253k1
RECKONING INCLouisvilleKY$253k1
Denver Architecture FoundationDenverCO$253k2
Art in OregonPortlandOR$253k0
POTTERS GUILD INCAnn ArborMI$253k0
THE TRAPSHOOTING HALL OF FAME INCSpartaIL$253k0
Common Ground TheatreChula VistaCA$253k1
Taylor County History CenterBuffalo GapTX$253k1
DESTINATION DOWNTOWN LANCASTER INCLancasterOH$253k1
THE HIVE PROJECTClintonMI$253k0
MESA ENCORE THEATREMesaAZ$253k0
The Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad ResourcesNewarkCA$253k0
Jazz Angel IncSignal HillCA$253k1
ARTS IN MOTION STUDIO WEST MICHIGANGrand RapidsMI$253k1
Stay Driven Charitable Foundation INCQuincyMA$253k0
HERITAGE OF THE AMERICAS MUSEUM INCEl CajonCA$253k0
ON THE STAGE CHILDRENS THEATRE INCBufordGA$253k0
KEIGWIN AND COMPANY INCNew YorkNY$253k2
CLANCY WORKS INCSilver SpringMD$253k2
CARDINAL SPELLMAN PHILATELIC MUSEUM INCWestonMA$253k0
JAZZREACH PERFORMING ARTS & EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONBrooklynNY$252k1
MORGAN PARK SUMMER MUSICAL FESTIVAL INCGlen CoveNY$252k0
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTSEllwood CityPA$252k0
Stage View Performing ArtsFresnoCA$252k0
D-DAY OHIO INCConneautOH$252k0
CEDAR CITY CHILDRENS MUSICAL THEATRCedar CityUT$252k0
KANSAS SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL BALLET INCOverland ParkKS$252k2
RANCHO SANTA FE HISTORICAL SOCIETYRancho Santa FeCA$252k0
CINEMA TROPICAL INCNew YorkNY$252k1
FIRE ISLAND ARTIST RESIDENCY INCORPORATEDAstoriaNY$252k1
CRYSTAL THEATRE INCNorwalkCT$252k5
Burning Cedar Sovereign Kitchen IncTulsaOK$252k2
ELK RIVER ARTS & LECTURESLivingstonMT$252k4
DANCE ARTS CENTRE INCSatellite BeachFL$252k0
Circuit NetworkSan FranciscoCA$252k2
SCANDIA HERITAGE ALLIANCEScandiaMN$252k0
MARINE AVIATION MUSEUM INCORPORATEDHoustonTX$252k0
HACKENSACK PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INCHackensackNJ$252k0
NATIONAL RANGER MEMORIAL FOUNDATIONColumbusGA$252k1
JUPITER ISLAND ARTS COUNCIL INCHobe SoundFL$252k0
WILLIAM H GRAY III MEMORIAL FOUNDATIONWashingtonDC$252k1
CEPA MANAGEMENT CORPORATIONPell CityAL$252k1
ASSYRIAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MODESTOModestoCA$252k0
Arena Dinner Theatre IncFort WayneIN$252k4
CAZATEATRO BILNGUAL THEATER GROUPMemphisTN$252k0
Operation LiteracySpanish ForkUT$252k0
Sumpter Valley Railroad Restoration IncBaker CityOR$252k0
APOYONLINE ASSOC FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION OF THE AMERICASRockvilleMD$252k0