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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 316 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
PORTLAND CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVALPortlandME$249k1
Make SpaceBaltimoreMD$249k1
Territory NFPChicagoIL$249k1
AIKEN PERFORMING ARTS GROUP INCAikenSC$249k1
TAMPA CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL INCWesley ChapelFL$249k0
CHRISTIAN MEDIA MINISTRIES INCBelgradeMT$249k0
FOWLER DAVIS 4 CHANGEBirminghamAL$249k0
CHICAGO DANCE HISTORY PROJECTChicagoIL$249k1
ETA CREATIVE ARTS FOUNDATIONChicagoIL$249k1
LOMBARD HISTORICAL SOCIETYLombardIL$249k1
MARSHALL COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYINCMarysvilleKS$249k0
GENEVA MUSIC FESTIVAL INCGenevaNY$249k0
WISCONSIN VETERANS MUSEUM FOUNDATION INCMadisonWI$249k1
SFAI LEGACY FOUNDATION AND ARCHIVESan FranciscoCA$249k0
THE IMPACT PROJECTGreeneNY$249k6
OVATION THEATRE FOUNDATIONBakersfieldCA$249k0
We Art One Artist Collective IncYonkersNY$249k0
OREGON EAST SYMPHONYPendletonOR$249k2
ST JAMES ART SHOW INCLouisvilleKY$249k0
Art AccessSalt Lake CityUT$249k1
CAPITAL CITY PERCUSSIONGrove CityOH$249k1
Sonoma Valley Community Communications Inc KSVY-SVTVSonomaCA$249k0
Center Stage Dance StudioGrass ValleyCA$249k4
THINKING CAP THEATRE INCFort LauderdaleFL$249k0
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA-STATE OF WISCONSINMilwaukeeWI$249k1
SPRAYBERRY BAND BOOSTER ASSN INCMariettaGA$249k0
THE NEWNAN COMMUNITY THEATRE COMPANY INCNewnanGA$249k1
Gurdjieff Foundation of California Los Angeles BranchNorth HollywoodCA$249k0
KADEN'S CAUSE INCGeorgetownKY$249k0
CENTRO PRIMO LEVI INCNew YorkNY$249k0
SPRING HILL HISTORIC HOME INCMassillonOH$249k4
WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVE INCMiamiFL$249k2
BACHAOLos AngelesCA$248k0
WATERWORKS ART MUSEUMMiles CityMT$248k1
RIPPLE PRODUCTIONSSeattleWA$248k2
India Center of Westchester IncHawthorneNY$248k0
MASSACHUSETTS FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL FUND INCBostonMA$248k0
BLANK SPACES MURALS INCAmarilloTX$248k2
WISCONSIN CENTER FOR NURSING INCMilwaukeeWI$248k1
HAPPENDANCE INCOkemosMI$248k2
SOCIETY FOR MUSIC THEORY IU JACOBS SCHOOL OF MUSICBloomingtonIN$248k0
Victory Gardens TheaterChicagoIL$248k1
Chicago & North Western Historical Society IncBedford ParkIL$248k0
PUTNAM ARTS COUNCILMahopacNY$248k1
HARVEST TIME MINISTRIES USATustinCA$248k1
McCallum Theatre Foundation IncPalm DesertCA$248k0
POETRY SOCIETY OF NEW YORK INCBrooklynNY$248k2
HOWARD AND FRANKIE ALPER FAMILY FOUNDATIONScottsdaleAZ$248k0
FRIENDS OF FENDALL HALL INCEufaulaAL$248k0
Salt Bay ChamberfestDamariscottaME$248k0