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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 332 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
GUJARATI SAMAJ OF GREATER KC INCLenexaKS$228k0
Shake on the Lake IncSilver LakeNY$228k2
Exit 82 A Toms River Theatre CompanyToms RiverNJ$228k0
Millville Army Air Field Museum IncMillvilleNJ$228k1
Jazz of Yuma IncYumaAZ$228k4
Alameda Post IncAlamedaCA$228k2
LOS ANGELES KOREAN-AMERICAN MUSICIANS' ASSOCIATIONLos AngelesCA$228k0
MUSIC THEATER BAVARIA INCWinter ParkFL$228k0
FOX VALLEY MUSIC CONSORTIUMAuroraIL$228k0
THE ROYAL ETHIOPIAN TRUST INCCenterbrookCT$228k1
FAYETTE CO LIBRARY ENDOWMENT FUNDFayetteAL$228k0
ORANGEBURG COUNTY FINE ARTS CENTEROrangeburgSC$228k0
SHREVEPORT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FOUNDATIONShreveportLA$228k0
AUSTERLITZ HISTORICAL SOCIETYAusterlitzNY$228k0
PHOENIX PERFORMING ARTS INCElkhartIN$228k0
Thearte You IncMountain ViewCA$228k0
Downriver Actors GuildWyandotteMI$228k0
ACTON CHINESE LANGUAGE SCHOOLActonMA$228k1
Amana Colonies Festivals IncAmanaIA$227k0
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION ENTERPRISES INCEvansvilleIN$227k4
BARRINGTON STAGE SUPPORTING FOUNDATION INCPittsfieldMA$227k0
STAGEBRIDGEOaklandCA$227k0
BURMA RESEARCH INSTITUTEEllicott CityMD$227k1
FORT DODGE HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONFort DodgeIA$227k0
ARTISTS ALLIANCE INCNew YorkNY$227k0
CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF THE MAGIC VALLEY INCTwin FallsID$227k0
Chicago Independent Radio ProjectChicagoIL$227k1
THE KANSAS BALLET COMPANYTopekaKS$227k0
BRISTOW HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCBristowOK$227k0
KANKAKEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYKankakeeIL$227k1
WHITE WAVE RISING-YOUNG SOON KIM DANCE COMPANY INCBrooklynNY$227k0
OLD STATE CAPITOL FOUNDATIONBaton RougeLA$227k0
DUBUQUE COUNTY FINE ARTS SOCIETYDubuqueIA$227k0
RAIN TAXI INCMinneapolisMN$227k2
HASAN HISTORY ARTS AND SCIENCE ACTION NETWORK INCLynchburgVA$227k3
MUSIC AND YOUTH INITIATIVEINCNeedhamMA$227k0
BRICK CHILDRENS COMMUNITY THEATRE INCBrickNJ$227k0
SHELBY COUNTY COMMUNITY THEATRE INCShelbyvilleKY$227k3
HAMILTON PLAYERS INCHamiltonMT$227k0
Buffalo Institute for Contemporary ArtBuffaloNY$227k1
COGNITIONBeulahMI$227k1
Heritage Military Music Foundation IncWatertownWI$227k0
PONY BOX DANCE THEATERNew YorkNY$227k0
WINSLOW ARTS TRUSTWinslowAZ$227k0
SCULPTURES EAU CLAIRE INCEau ClaireWI$227k0
THE GRATEFUL FILM FUNDStudio CityCA$227k0
Utah's Urban and Rural Specialized Transportation AssociationSmithfieldUT$227k1
LIGHT INDUSTRY CINEMA PROJECTS LTDBrooklynNY$227k2
CORONADO COMMUNITY THEATRE INCCoronadoCA$227k0
BEDFORD COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL INCShelbyvilleTN$227k0