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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 340 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
DANCE FOR THE CURE INCHillsboroughNJ$219k0
Packard Museum AssociationWarrenOH$219k2
Besharat Arts Foundation IncAtlantaGA$219k0
EXTRA MILE STUDENT CENTERGrandviewWA$219k2
Arkansas Learning Through the ArtsHot Springs VillageAR$219k0
CREATIVE HEARTS INCDobbs FerryNY$219k1
BOSTON FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA INCBostonMA$219k0
ALBUQUERQUE PRIDE INCAlbuquerqueNM$219k0
BACH DANCING & DYNAMITE SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN INCMadisonWI$219k3
LIVESTOCK FOUNDATIONBovina CenterNY$219k0
JOHNSON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCFranklinIN$219k0
Sleepy Hollow Performing Artists InOssiningNY$219k0
RHODE ISLAND CENTER FOR THE BOOKNewportRI$219k1
Save The PT Boat IncPortlandOR$219k0
CASCADE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INCEdmondsWA$219k2
CLASSIC LEAR JET FOUNDATIONWichitaKS$219k0
PATRONUS GROUP INCHoustonTX$219k1
HELLERSTEIN FOUNDATIONKensingtonCA$219k0
GLOBAL CULTURAL CONNECTIONS DBA PACIFICA INSTITUTELake ForestCA$219k0
FRIENDS OF THE MINNESOTA SINFONIAMinneapolisMN$218k1
AUDIE MURPHY AMERICAN COTTON MUSEUMGreenvilleTX$218k0
KLINKHART HALL ARTS CENTER INCSharon SpringsNY$218k0
WABASH VALLEY DANCE THEATER INCWabashIN$218k0
MODE MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTSSeattleWA$218k1
NORTH OAKLAND DANCE TROOPWaterfordMI$218k0
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF PUERI CANTORESOrangeCA$218k0
BEACON MEDIAHilsboroughNC$218k0
Jasper Strassenfest IncJasperIN$218k0
Magic City Performing ArtsShoal CreekAL$218k0
4 CIRCLES BEYOND INCWillingboroNJ$218k0
MUSEUM OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ARTChicoCA$218k0
OREGON PARKINSON'S WARRIORS FOUNDATIONWaltervilleOR$218k1
6TH STREET STUDIOS AND ART CENTERGilroyCA$218k0
CHINESE-AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATIONCaryNC$218k0
Longmont Theatre Company IncLongmontCO$218k2
THE RAYMER SOCIETY FOR THE ARTSLindsborgKS$218k2
STAGEWORX COOlatheKS$218k1
CAMPAIGN FOR THE PRESERVATION OF MISSION SAN ANTONIO DE PADUAKing CityCA$218k0
PACIFIC MUSICWORKSSeattleWA$218k3
YOUTH CHORUS OF KANSAS CITY INCKansas CityMO$218k1
MIAMI DANCE FUTURES INCMiamiFL$218k1
I AM CULTURED INCWestburyNY$218k0
GENRYU ARTSSan FranciscoCA$218k1
ARTSBRIDGE INCParkersburgWV$218k0
ADVOCACY FOR THE VISUAL ARTS INCGilletteWY$218k1
Palmetto City BalletMt PleasantSC$218k2
SHERIDAN ARTISTS GUILD ET ALSheridanWY$218k0
Vivid Stage IncSummitNJ$218k1
MOVING THEATERNew York CityNY$218k2
FRIENDS OF THE BULLDOG MARCHING BANDFresnoCA$218k0