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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 324 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
BOOM ARTS INCPortlandOR$239k1
BARREN COHISTORICAL FOUNDATIONINCGlasgowKY$238k0
WESTERN CONNECTICUT YOUTH ORCHESTRA INCRidgefieldCT$238k0
AROOSTOOK ARTS & EDUCATION CENTER WINTERGREEN ARTS CENTERPresque IsleME$238k0
Parson's Nose ProductionsPasadenaCA$238k0
NORTHMONT FELLOWSHIP ASSOCIATION OF READING PAReadingPA$238k3
Songfest IncCincinnatiOH$238k1
12 METRE YACHT DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATIONSouthportCT$238k0
DEVELOPING CONNECTIONS NORTHEAST OHIOParmaOH$238k1
McWhiney History Education GroupKerrvilleTX$238k1
GSJ FAMILY LIFE CENTERChicagoIL$238k0
KEEP SEVIER BEAUTIFULSeviervilleTN$238k0
POCONO MOUNTAINS MUSIC FESTIVALCrescoPA$238k0
ACT OUT THEATRE COMPANYLong BeachCA$238k1
ERIE COUNTY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION INCOrchard ParkNY$238k0
IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSEUMAlbanyNY$238k0
701 Center for Contemporary ArtColumbiaSC$238k1
POSITIVE OUTCOME MENTORING & DANCE INCSilver SpringMD$238k1
POSITIVE VIBRATIONS FOUNDATIONGulf BreezeFL$238k0
DHYANI ORGBrentwoodCA$238k0
TUPELO COMMUNITY THEATRE INCTupeloMS$238k1
Family Cornerstones IncClevelandTN$238k1
ANKUR DFWLittle ElmTX$238k0
Knights of St Patrick IncBreezy PointNY$238k0
SIERRA PERFORMING ARTS ASSOCIATIONLoomisCA$238k2
DETROIT PUPPET COMPANYDetroitMI$238k1
Off the Hook ArtsFort CollinsCO$238k0
RICE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYFaribaultMN$238k0
Congo Square Theatre CompanyChicagoIL$238k0
HISTORIC CRAGFONT INCCastalian SpringsTN$238k0
RESEARCH SOCIETY FOR VICTORIAN PERIODICALSFort WayneIN$238k0
JAZZ ACADEMY OF MUSIC INCSilver SpringMD$238k0
COMMUNITY TELEVISION NETWORK INCChicagoIL$238k1
FLUX PROJECTS INCAtlantaGA$238k0
KOREAN LANGUAGE & CULTURAL INSTITUTE INCNew YorkNY$238k1
HISTORIC ST MARY'S CITY FOUNDATION INCSaint Marys CityMD$238k0
CAPITAL CITY FILM FESTIVALLansingMI$237k1
Harriet Tubman HomeAuburnNY$237k2
DESTINATION ARTTorranceCA$237k1
FRIENDS OF THE ACADIA TRAD FESTIVALEllsworthME$237k0
Springfield Theatre CentreSpringfieldIL$237k0
PIONEER & HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY OHIOZanesvilleOH$237k0
Falls Area Community Television IncBellows FallsVT$237k0
LYRICA CLASSIC ENTERTAINMENT INCRosedaleMD$237k0
NORTH LAKE TAHOE HISTORICAL SOCIETYTahoe CityCA$237k0
Confluence Gallery and Art CenterTwispWA$237k1
Center for the Dance TheatreCastro ValleyCA$237k2
LOOKING FOR LILITHLouisvilleKY$237k2
The Clermont FoundationBerryvilleVA$237k1
PENNSYLVANIA PUBLIC RADIO ASSOCIATES INCChester SpringsPA$237k1