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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 333 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
ARCONETNorth WalesPA$227k4
BALLET TEXASSan AntonioTX$227k0
Pacific Anthropomorphics of Washington StateVashonWA$227k0
STAGE OF LIFE THEATRE COMPANYCarbondaleCO$227k0
QUOGUE JUNIOR THEATER TROUPE INCQuogueNY$227k0
HARRIET TUBMAN MUSEUM OF CAPE MAYCape MayNJ$227k2
Jazz at the Ballroom IncBurlingameCA$227k2
BLACKSTONE VALLEY MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS COLLABUxbridgeMA$227k3
The SagradoPhoenixAZ$227k0
OTHER VOICES INCFrederickMD$227k0
WOODLAND STRING BAND INCPhiladelphiaPA$227k0
Elijah RadioMargaretAL$227k1
HERSHEY'S MILL COMMUNITY TVWest ChesterPA$227k0
NEW ORLEANS ENTERTAINMENT COALITIONNew OrleansLA$227k0
OLD KIA KIMA PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION INCNewportAR$227k0
MASSACHUSETTS EDUCATIONAL THEATER GUILD INCMansfieldMA$227k1
LOS GATOS MUSIC AND ARTS INCLos GatosCA$226k0
GAFA STUDIOSWilmingtonNC$226k3
THUNDER DOME CAR MUSEUMAuburnWA$226k0
MILESBURG MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETYMilesburgPA$226k0
Dancing Rabbit Music AssociationMcAlesterOK$226k0
ThreewallsChicagoIL$226k0
SOUND AFFECTS MUSICFort CollinsCO$226k1
COMPANY 7 DANCE CORPEatontownNJ$226k0
National Cambridge Collectors IncCambridgeOH$226k0
SHINBIG INCAllison ParkPA$226k0
ST LUCIE COMMUNITY THEATRE INCFort PierceFL$226k0
INTERNATIONAL PETROLEUM MUSEUM AND EXPOSITION INCMorgan CityLA$226k2
Jefferson Matters Main StreetJeffersonIA$226k0
Houston Architecture FoundationHoustonTX$226k0
Thunderheart Media IncGallatin GatewayMT$226k1
WASHTENAW COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYAnn ArborMI$226k0
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra AssociationIndianapolisIN$226k0
IDAHO FALLS YOUTH ARTS CENTRE INCIdaho FallsID$226k0
SEA DOG THEATER INCNew YorkNY$226k0
GREAT LEAP INCLos AngelesCA$226k0
CHICAGO COLLECTIONS CONSORTIUM INC NFPChicagoIL$226k0
Mountain Time ArtsBozemanMT$226k1
The Mississippi Mass Choir Ministries IncJacksonMS$226k4
SHAKESPEARE IN DETROITDearbornMI$226k1
Silver Lake Institute IncSilver LakeNY$226k0
Marysville Schools Choral BoostersMarysvilleOH$226k0
728 CADETS CORPElk RiverMN$226k0
THE WORK FOUNDATION INCSanta BarbaraCA$226k0
Mezcla Media Collective LTDChicagoIL$226k1
MINDEN OPERA HOUSE INCMindenNE$226k1
Lebanese Educational CenterRaleighNC$226k0
FRIENDS OF LEVITT PAVILION SAN JOSESan JoseCA$226k0
ATTLEBORO AREA INDUSTRIAL MUSEUM INCAttleboroMA$226k2
WASHINGTON INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF BOOKS INCWashingtonDC$226k1