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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 331 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
BLINDSPOT COLLECTIVESan DiegoCA$229k2
NORTHEAST MICHIGAN CENTER FOR FINE ARTS INCAlpenaMI$229k0
GREATER BIRMINGHAM ARTS EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE INCBirminghamAL$229k1
HUNTINGDON COUNTY ARTS COUNCILHuntingdonPA$229k1
TERMINAL RADIO INCValdezAK$229k2
THE TIDEWATER WINDSVirginia BeachVA$229k1
SEQUIM COMMUNITY BROADCASTINGSequimWA$229k0
Roswell Symphony Orchestra IncRoswellNM$229k0
STRATFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETYStratfordCT$229k0
THE STAGE OCONEE INCWatkinsvilleGA$229k3
ARTISTS ALLIANCE STUDIO SCHOOLRichmondTX$229k0
IMAGES A FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS INCNew Smyrna BeachFL$229k1
PARALLEL STUDIOS INCSanta FeNM$229k2
Memphis Heritage IncorporatedMemphisTN$229k0
PARK CITY PRESENTSBridgeportCT$229k0
LAURENS COUNTY MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONLaurensSC$229k1
BUTLER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY co GBR GROUPHamiltonOH$229k4
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN SOCIETY OF SAN JOSESan JoseCA$229k0
FESTIVAL PUERTORIQUENO DE MASSACHUSETTS INCRoslindaleMA$229k0
Deccan Cultural Academy IncMantecaCA$229k0
HAMAZKAYIN ARMENIAN EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL SOCIETY INCWatertownMA$229k0
1888 Message Study Committee 1888 Glad Tidings PublishersBerrien SpringsMI$228k0
COWBOY DAYS INCEvanstonWY$228k0
ATLANTIC BLACK BOXPortlandME$228k1
ARTISTS UNLIMITED INCRochesterNY$228k0
Southwest Judges NetworkWrightwoodCA$228k4
LA TROUPE THEATRE-IN-EDUCATIONShadow HillsCA$228k0
POTTERY MUSEUM RED WING INCRed WingMN$228k1
LUBBOCK WOMEN'S CLUB HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONLubbockTX$228k0
PAINTED SKY OPERA INCEdmondOK$228k2
Ozark Ballet TheaterBentonvilleAR$228k2
ARIZONA PHILHARMONIC INCPrescottAZ$228k2
SERRALVES US CIRCLE INCEast HamptonNY$228k0
NRITHYA SANGEETHNapervilleIL$228k1
ARTVANBrunswickME$228k0
EAST MISSISSIPPI VETERANS FOUNDATIONMeridianMS$228k0
LYRIC OPERA OF ORANGE COUNTYIrvineCA$228k0
MEMPHIS YOUTH SYMPHONY PROGRAMMemphisTN$228k0
ARIZONA AMERICAN INDIAN TOURISM ASSOCIATScottsdaleAZ$228k0
GLOUCESTER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETWoodburyNJ$228k0
VOICE OF THE CITYChicagoIL$228k2
MOUNT VERNON COMMUNITY CHILDREN'S THEATRAlexandriaVA$228k0
KASHMIR ELFA INTERNATIONAL INCWoodmereNY$228k0
SHERIDAN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYSheridanWY$228k0
COSTUME CONNECTIONPhoenixAZ$228k0
SULLIVANMUNCE CULTURAL CENTER INCZionsvilleIN$228k0
CITY SESSIONS INCBentonvilleAR$228k1
Ennis Public TheatreEnnisTX$228k0
RIVER ARTS INCPrairie Du SacWI$228k0
VIVACE YOUTH CHORUS OF SAN JOSESan JoseCA$228k0