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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 317 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
MARQUETTE MARITIME MUSEUMMarquetteMI$248k1
THE HERSHEY FAMILY FOUNDATIONBonita SpringsFL$248k0
ALLEN PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY INCAllenTX$248k0
WESTSIDE SPONSORING COMMITTEENew RoadsLA$248k0
HEART OF ROUTE 66 AUTO MUSEUM INCTulsaOK$248k0
VERNON FILLEY ART MUSEUM FOUNDATIONPrattKS$248k0
Asheville Music School Sound EducationAshevilleNC$248k2
HOCKING HILLS CHILDRENS MUSEUM INCLoganOH$248k0
ALL-STAR ORCHESTRA SUMMITLarchmontNY$248k2
Myth MediaPortlandOR$248k1
VISALIA ARTS CONSORTIUM INCVisaliaCA$248k0
SEVIER COUNTY FAIR ASSOCIATIONSeviervilleTN$248k0
ARMSTRONG COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY INCKittanningPA$248k0
BLUE WATER EXCHANGEEwa BeachHI$248k0
TORCH LITERARY ARTSAustinTX$248k1
LIBERTY HILL BAND BOOSTERSLiberty HillTX$248k0
WEST DES MOINES HISTORICAL SOCIETYWest Des MoinesIA$248k1
HISTORY ALIVESalemMA$248k0
MENDDIGAP INCBrooklynNY$248k1
Weston Media Center IncWestonMA$247k1
INDIAN RIVER LITERARY SOCIETYVero BeachFL$247k0
THORNWILLOW INSTITUTE LTDNewburghNY$247k0
Swedish Women's Educational Association International IncFort LauderdaleFL$247k1
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF ROYAL MUSEUMS GREENWICH INCNew YorkNY$247k0
PLAYERS' RINGPortsmouthNH$247k0
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF BASSISTSDallasTX$247k0
WISCONSIN MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATIONWaunakeeWI$247k1
RITZ ARTSEugeneOR$247k0
AUGUSTANA ARTS INCAuroraCO$247k1
TRES DOUX FOUNDATIONNew OrleansLA$247k1
BUILDING BRIDGES ART FOUNDATIONSanta MonicaCA$247k0
Kalashramusa IncDuluthGA$247k0
Three Bone Theatre IncCharlotteNC$247k0
DELGANI STRING QUARTETEugeneOR$247k5
COMPANIA DE BAILE BALLET SENORIALPoncePR$247k0
CAMDEN SHIPYARD MARITIME MUSEUMCamdenNJ$247k1
CHEROKEE EVENTSSaint LouisMO$247k0
PARK THEATER FOUNDATION INCGlens FallsNY$247k1
LOA'A FOUNDATIONSacramentoCA$247k0
Mercy for Humanity IncIrvineCA$247k0
SHORELINE ARTS ALLIANCE INCMadisonCT$247k1
PITCHBLACK Immersive Experiences IncNew YorkNY$247k0
FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS IN GRAND RAPIDGrand RapidsMI$247k0
SONOMA BACHCotatiCA$247k0
CALIFORNIA DANCE ENSEMBLEChatsworthCA$247k0
A PICTURES WORTH INCCincinnatiOH$247k0
INTERNATIONAL PEDIATRIC SIMULATION SOCIETYPensacolaFL$247k0
ASSEMBLY OF TURKISH AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONSAlexandriaVA$247k0
LOUISIANA POLITICAL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME FOUNDATIONWinnfieldLA$247k0
Young Chamber Musicians IncSan FranciscoCA$247k1