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 314 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
All The World's A StageClinton TownshipMI$252k0
Bristol Bay Historical Society IncNaknekAK$252k1
INDIAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION INCIselinNJ$252k0
NORTHEAST GEORGIA HISTORY CENTER AT BRENAU UNIVERSITY INCGainesvilleGA$252k2
ESPERIENZA ITALIAEaganMN$251k0
Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe HouseCincinnatiOH$251k1
St Lou FringeSaint LouisMO$251k1
MAINE CRAFTS ASSOCIATIONGardinerME$251k1
BRUNSWICK ARTS COUNCIL INCOcean Isle BeachNC$251k0
KALAMAZOO BOOK ARTS CENTERKalamazooMI$251k1
INSTITUTO MAZATLAN BELLAS ARTESSacramentoCA$251k1
LEFT COAST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE INCSan FranciscoCA$251k0
Flat Rock Archive IncStonecrestGA$251k0
TELUGU ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAIrvineCA$251k0
COLLINGWOOD ARTS CENTER INCToledoOH$251k0
WALDOS AND COMPANYGettysburgPA$251k1
OR RISHON FOUNDATION INCSanta FeNM$251k0
ACTORS GUILD OF PARKERSBURG INCParkerburgWV$251k1
CENTER FOR LATINO-JEWISH RELATIONSHoustonTX$251k1
Youth Inspirations TheatreNoblesvilleIN$251k1
The ObserverNotre DameIN$251k25
CELTIC ARTS SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONMount VernonWA$251k0
WOMEN IN MEDIA INCLos AngelesCA$251k2
BEHRE PIANO ASSOCIATES INCAdamantVT$251k0
ROCKY NECK ART COLONY INCGloucesterMA$251k0
POLK ARTS ALLIANCE INCLakelandFL$251k1
FRIENDS OF THE WASHINGTON STATUE INCMcLeanVA$251k0
SLIDELL LITTLE THEATRESlidellLA$251k0
THE PEACOCK PLAYERS INCNashuaNH$251k1
T L C CARNIVAL CLUB INCWestwegoLA$251k1
EPICENTER FOUNDATION INCJackson HeightsNY$251k0
VETERANS MEMORIAL & SUPPORT FOUNDATION OF LOS GATOSLos GatosCA$251k0
FRIENDS OF CLERMONT INCGermantownNY$251k1
EVERY VOICE CHOIRS INCNew YorkNY$251k0
CALIFORNIA INDIAN BASKETWEAVERS ASSOCIATIONWoodlandCA$251k0
FRIENDS OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE SHRINEWisconsin DellsWI$251k0
CLAYWORKS ON COLUMBIA INCBrooklynNY$250k3
ANNANDALE ART AND TEXTILE CENTERAnnandaleMN$250k0
STAGE COACH PLAYERS INCDeKalbIL$250k0
COLUMBIA INSIGHTHood RiverOR$250k0
KFUG COMMUNITY RADIO INCCrescent CityCA$250k2
ROCHESTER REPERTORY THEATRERochesterMN$250k0
SIDNEY & BOBETTE GULLER FAMILY FOUNDATIONChesterfieldMO$250k2
Hell In A Handbag ProductionsChicagoIL$250k1
ART MAKER LLCSkiatookOK$250k2
AVON HILLS FOLK SCHOOLAvonMN$250k2
PUSH PHYSICAL THEATRE INCRochesterNY$250k2
JONES-HAYWOOD DANCE SCHOOL INCWashingtonDC$250k1
EYUMEMA USA INC FORMERLY MOHWA USA INCWylieTX$250k0
The Canton Classic Car MuseumCantonOH$250k0