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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 344 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Nature's Best Photography Fund IncMcLeanVA$214k2
CAPE ANN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INCGloucesterMA$214k0
SAN DIEGUITO ART GUILDEncinitasCA$214k0
MEHERRIN INDIAN TRIBEAhoskieNC$214k0
DOGTEAM THEATRE PROJECT INCMiddleburyVT$214k3
MICHIGAN ARTS ACCESSDetroitMI$214k1
BLACKSTONE RIVER THEATRECumberlandRI$214k1
AIMPOWERMountain ViewCA$213k2
BIG SPRING SYMPHONY ASSOCIATIONBig SpringTX$213k0
STATEN ISLAND SHAKESPEAREAN THEATRE COStaten IslandNY$213k1
INLANDIA INSTITUTE INCRiversideCA$213k1
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE LA RIVIERA CALIFORNIENNE INCNewport BeachCA$213k1
PATRONS OF THE TRUMBULL NATURE & ARTS CENTERTrumbullCT$213k0
ROGUE WORLD MUSICAshlandOR$213k1
ARMANDO INFO INCMiamiFL$213k3
Chinese Community Center of Capital District of NYLathamNY$213k0
APPLETON BOYCHOIR INCAppletonWI$213k2
MOHICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCLoudonvilleOH$213k0
VERMONT MUSIC & ARTS ASSOC INCEasthamptonMA$213k0
TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM FOUNDATION INCNashvilleTN$213k0
AHISKA TURKISH AMERICAN COMMUNITY CENTERDaytonOH$213k0
SOHOPHOTO FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$213k0
OVERFALLS FOUNDATIONLewesDE$213k0
IOWA ROCK 'N ROLL MUSIC ASSOCIATIONArnolds ParkIA$213k0
BUMP IncDurhamNC$213k0
THE MARTIN AND OSA JOHNSON SAFARI MUSEUM INCChanuteKS$213k1
LYNN ARTS INCLynnMA$213k0
DESTINATION CRENSHAW SUPPORT FOUNDATIONLos AngelesCA$213k1
ANNIE E WOODMAN INSTITUTE INCDoverNH$213k2
The Mid-Hudson Heritage Center Inc DBA Fall Kill Creative WorksPoughkeepsieNY$213k0
SPENCER COMMUNITY THEATRE INCSpencerIA$213k0
KARL O & HELEN W KNATHS TRUSTDallasTX$213k1
INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF CHAPLAINS AND LAW ENFORCRidgewoodNY$213k0
Silver Sage FoundationHendersonNV$213k0
SUPERSTARS WRITINGDenverCO$213k3
COLORADO YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATIONDenverCO$213k0
THE WESTMORELAND PLAYERSCallaoVA$213k0
PALESTINE COMMUNITY THEATRE INCPalestineTX$213k0
NEW DAY CHILDREN'S THEATRE INCColliervilleTN$213k0
CARROLL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRACarrolltonGA$213k0
HEART OF DANCEMinneapolisMN$213k2
NORTHWEST CHOIR RESOURCESPort OrchardWA$213k1
PENNSYLVANIA BALLET ACADEMYCamp HillPA$213k0
MILWAUKEE JAZZ FESTIVAL INCSussexWI$213k0
PENINSULA ART GUILDKenaiAK$213k0
GENESEE COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE FOUNDATION INCBataviaNY$213k0
JOHNSTON COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL INCSmithfieldNC$213k1
MANITOU SPRINGS HISTORICAL SOCIETYManitou SpringsCO$213k0
BARNSTONE ART FOR KIDSPhoenixvillePA$213k0
New Dungeness Light Station AssocSequimWA$213k0