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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 330 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Experiential Orchestra IncNew YorkNY$230k2
THE YES LAB INCTroyNY$230k0
COUPEVILLE HISTORIC WATERFRONT ASSOCIATIONCoupevilleWA$230k1
Town and Country PlayersDoylestownPA$230k0
Montpelier Descendants CommitteeOrangeVA$230k0
COMMONWEALTH BALLET CO INCActonMA$230k0
COLUMBIA GORGE ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATIONHood RiverOR$230k2
Jayone K-Culture FoundationParamountCA$230k0
Performing Artist Coalition for Theater dba Main Stage WestSebastopolCA$230k0
Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society IncSalemOR$230k0
Spiderwoman Theatre Workshop IncBrooklynNY$230k0
OWLS NEST FUND FOR HISTORIC DESIGNATED FACILITIESWilmingtonDE$230k0
JAMES A UNRUH FAMILY FOUNDATION C/O ARIZONA COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONPhoenixAZ$230k5
SAN DIEGO JAZZ VENTURES INCSan DiegoCA$230k1
THE MILTON AND MARILYN SAFENOWITZCalabasasCA$230k0
ARTS IN EDUCATION OF THE GORGEHood RiverOR$230k0
MS KEDA FOUNDATIONLos AngelesCA$230k0
NEWCOMB HISTORICAL MUSEUMNewcombNY$230k1
AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE TRAILWest TisburyMA$230k1
MIGHTY CHILDRENS MUSEUMChillicotheOH$230k1
Unicomdes-USALos AngelsCA$230k0
BERGEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYRiver EdgeNJ$230k0
EXPATS THEATREWashingtonDC$230k2
SHELTER MUSIC BOSTON INCArlingtonMA$230k0
Visionworkshops IncAnnapolisMD$230k0
THE LORETTA LYNN FOUNDATIONNashvilleTN$230k0
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME INCSan FranciscoCA$230k0
LAKE MILLS ENTERTAINMENT INCLake MillsIA$230k0
OLMSTED ARTS INCAtlantaGA$230k0
WESTERN NEW YORK HERITAGE INCCheektowagaNY$230k1
Colorado Territorial Prison Museum Foundation IncCanon CityCO$230k0
SANGRE DE CRISTO ARTS & CONFERENCE ENDOWMENT INCPuebloCO$230k0
Complexions FoundationPrincetonNJ$230k0
Azubuike African American Council for the Arts IncDavenportIA$230k0
ARTE INSTITUTE INCBrooklynNY$229k1
SUZUKI EDUCATION & RESEARCH ASSOCSan AntonioTX$229k0
Theatre Bristol IncBristolTN$229k0
CANTABELLA CHILDRENS CHORUSPleasantonCA$229k0
Lancaster International Piano Festival IncLancasterPA$229k0
GERALD A BARTELL COMMUNITY THEATER FOUNDMadisonWI$229k1
HISTORIC SALISBURY FOUNDATION INCSalisburyNC$229k0
ENCORE THEATRICAL COMPANYMorristownTN$229k0
San Antonio Scottish Rite Library & MuseumSan AntonioTX$229k0
HAMILTON-GARRETT MUSIC AND ARTS ACADEMY INCBostonMA$229k1
Southland SingsSan DimasCA$229k1
Mary's Place Outreach IncRochesterNY$229k0
SINGING CRUSADE FOR CHRIST INCEast Flat RockNC$229k0
NPC ASSOCIATION INCRidgewoodNJ$229k0
STOCKTON FOLK DANCE CAMPAthertonCA$229k3
Threshold Dance Projects IncNew YorkNY$229k3