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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 335 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
COLLIDEAustinTX$225k1
THE FRED M KEMP FOUNDATIONSt LouisMO$224k4
MDSA FoundationSpringTX$224k2
KANKAKEE VALLEY THEATRE ASSOCIATIONKankakeeIL$224k0
COUNTY PLAYERS INCWappingers FallsNY$224k0
FFX MINISTRIES INCVirginia BchVA$224k1
SP JERMAIN HISTORICAL GOLF FOUNDATIONToledoOH$224k0
HILLIARD ARTS COUNCIL CORPORATIONHilliardOH$224k0
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AMERICA INCKansas CityMO$224k0
THE SHAFRAZIAN FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$224k0
CLARKSVILLE-MONTGOMERY COUNTY ARTS & HERITAGE DEVELOPMENT COUNCILClarksvilleTN$224k1
Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution IncEdgartownMA$224k0
NEW MUSICALS INCNorth HollywoodCA$224k0
GALLERY ROUTE ONEPoint Reyes StationCA$224k1
WHIPPANY RAILWAY MUSEUMWhippanyNJ$224k0
RHODE ISLAND CHILDRENS CHORUS INCLincolnRI$224k0
THE UNITED STATES PADEL ASSOCIATIIONAustinTX$224k0
TUN TAVERN LEGACY FOUNDATION INCChurchvillePA$224k0
CULPEPER CAVALRY MUSEUM T/A MUSEUM OF CULPEPER HISTORYCulpeperVA$224k0
COLORADO NEW PLAY FESTIVALSteamboat SpringsCO$224k1
FILTER PHOTO NFPChicagoIL$224k2
FULL CIRCLE THEATER COMPANYMinneapolisMN$224k2
SB DANCESalt Lake CityUT$224k1
STUDIO THEATRE INCConwayAR$224k2
Friends of the Battleship North Carolina IncWilmingtonNC$224k1
ART OF THE LAKES ASSOCIATION INCBattle LakeMN$224k0
CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF BRANCH COUNTY IColdwaterMI$224k0
Northwest Art AllianceClintonWA$224k0
BLACK VIOLIN FOUNDATION INCCooper CityFL$224k2
PANIC PRODUCTIONSThousand OaksCA$224k0
BRUNSWICK NAVAL AVIATION MUSEUMBrunswickME$224k0
ESCUELA MAYAGUEZANA DE BALLET Y EDUCACION EUGENIO MARIA DE HOMayaguezPR$224k1
Vienna Jammers Percussion Ensemble IncViennaVA$224k1
MONTGOMERY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYFort JohnsonNY$224k2
BURBANK POLICE FOUNDATIONBurbankCA$224k0
HIGH PLAINS WINE & FOOD FOUNDATION INCLubbockTX$224k0
CENTER FOR CULTURAL VIBRANCYCharlottesvilleVA$224k1
FREEDOM HONOR FLIGHT INCLa CrosseWI$224k0
MARGARET WILLIS MORTON TESTAMENTARY TRUSTNew YorkNY$224k1
CITY PARK JAZZ INCDenverCO$224k1
VILLA TERRACE MUSEUM AND GARDENS LTDMilwaukeeWI$224k0
MOUNTAIN ARTS NETWORKLake ArrowheadCA$224k0
SEBASTIAN CHAMBER PLAYERS INCNew YorkNY$224k0
LITTLETON YOUTH BALLETLittletonCO$224k0
MUSEUM CONTEMPORARY ART OF AMERICA INCMiamiFL$223k0
OPEN FLOOR INTERNATIONALMill ValleyCA$223k0
NAMAH ENSEMBLE INCWoodland HillsCA$223k1
PHOENICIA FESTIVAL OF THE VOICE FOUNDATIONPhoeniciaNY$223k0
DENTON COMMUNITY MARKETDentonTX$223k0
SANTA MONICA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATIONSanta MonicaCA$223k0