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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 355 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
GALATIANS 62ElginSC$201k0
KUNQU SOCIETY INCFlushingNY$201k1
Triangle Arts Association LimitedBrooklynNY$201k1
SHUBANJALI SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTSScotch PlainsNJ$201k1
KEY WEST ART CENTER INCKey WestFL$201k1
Mobile International Festival IncMobileAL$201k0
PONY EXPRESS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION INCSaint JosephMO$201k0
OLD TOWN PLAYERS INCVincennesIN$201k0
THE URBAN EDUCATIONAL PROJECT-JERSEY EXPLORER CHILDREN'S MUSEUMEast OrangeNJ$201k2
Utah Chamber ArtistsSandyUT$201k1
HUNTSVILLE YOUTH ORCHESTRA INCHuntsvilleAL$201k4
SENECA MUSEUM OF WATERWAYS AND INDUSTRYSeneca FallsNY$201k1
SWANSBORO BAND BOOSTERS INCSwansboroNC$201k0
CANTORES IN ECCLESIASherwoodOR$201k2
CENTRESTAGE THEATRE COMPANYKingwoodTX$201k0
POLISH AMERICAN STRING BAND INCPhiladelphiaPA$201k0
FELLOWSHIP FOR INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY INCRutledgeMO$201k3
LA DONNA MUSICALE INCBostonMA$201k1
CHARLES THEATRE INCCharles CityIA$201k0
Magenta TheaterVancouverWA$201k0
ARLINGTON CLUB HERITAGE FOUNDATIONPortlandOR$201k0
WEST VIRGINIA SYMPHONY REGIONAL OUTREACH GROUP INCCharlestonWV$201k0
MAMMOTH ARTS FOUNDATIONBoulderCO$201k0
ARCADIA MUSIC CLUB INCArcadiaCA$201k0
Green House CollaborationDenverCO$201k0
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF THE HIGHLANDS INCSebringFL$201k0
INDIAN MUSIC SOCIETY OF HOUSTONHoustonTX$201k1
HISTORIC HUNTSVILLE FOUNDATION INCHuntsvilleAL$201k1
BCCAT Family Foundation IncReeds SpringMO$201k0
Athena ProjectLittletonCO$201k2
SAVING THE OLD PROPERTIES INCWinchesterIN$201k0
ALBANY CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE INCAlbanyGA$200k0
Modern and Contemporary Art Support CorpNew YorkNY$200k1
MUSEUM OF FRIENDSWalsenburgCO$200k0
CORTLAND COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCCortlandNY$200k1
DESERT SOUNDS PERFORMING ARTS INCMesaAZ$200k1
VICTORIAN LYRIC OPERA COMPANYRockvilleMD$200k0
WINDSOR MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETYWindsorCA$200k0
PHILADELPHIA POLICE & FIRE PIPES & DRUMSPhiladelphiaPA$200k0
Venetian Arts Society IncFort LauderdaleFL$200k1
PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC THEATREPittsburghPA$200k1
Gateway Center For The Arts IncDebaryFL$200k0
HARLEM ARTS ALLIANCENew YorkNY$200k0
ARTS WITHOUT ENDFort CollinsCO$200k0
IMPACT 100 SEATTLESeattleWA$200k0
The Palmetto Trust For Historic Preservation IncCamdenSC$200k0
MELODY OF HOPE INCCelinaTX$200k0
SPINNING TREE THEATREKansas CityMO$200k2
Murer House FoundationFolsomCA$200k0
PLASTICS HALL OF FAME INCRosevilleMN$200k0