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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 382 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
THE STING GIRLS DIAMOND SPORTS CLUBLongmontCO$178k0
Greater Port Clinton Area Arts CouncilPort ClintonOH$178k0
STORYTEL FOUNDATIONOmahaNE$178k1
HOMEWARD BOUND THEATRE COMPANY INCChanhassenMN$178k3
DESERT WINDS FREEDOM BANDPalm SpringsCA$178k0
MIAMI CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETYMiamiFL$178k1
CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF THE SOUTH BAY INCPalos Verdes PeninsulaCA$178k1
GALVESTON COUNTY HISTORY INCSanta FeTX$178k1
TOLEDO COMMUNITY THEATRE GUILD D/B/A WIETING THEATREToledoIA$178k0
ACT II COMMUNITY THEATERSt PetersMO$178k0
COLOR ME EMPOWEREDDallasTX$178k1
MIDWEST MINIATURES MUSEUMGrand HavenMI$178k0
Twin Cities Steppers AssociationSaint PaulMN$178k0
COMMUNITY FAIR ASSN OF NORTH CHESTER CHESTERHILL AND LITTLEVILLEChesterMA$178k0
THE MANASSA SADDLE CLUB INCManassaCO$178k0
PADEREWSKI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAChicagoIL$178k0
Jewel Box Childrens Theater CompanyLong BeachCA$178k2
CORINTH AREA ARTS COUNCIL INCCorinthMS$178k0
LITTLE THEATRE OF NORFOLKNorfolkVA$178k0
SPAACES FOUNDATION INCSarasotaFL$178k0
Light Opera of New JerseyBasking RidgeNJ$178k2
PROMARE INCChesterCT$178k0
OAKLASHOaklandCA$178k3
AMERICANA FESTIVAL INCDaytonOH$178k1
CENTRAL TEXAS BENGALI ASSOCIATIONAustinTX$178k0
LOWCOUNTRY GULLAHHilton Head IslandSC$178k0
CITY CLUB OF BOISE INC 03-07-95BoiseID$178k0
GREAT LAKES LIFEWAYS INSTITUTEDorrMI$178k0
Literary Club of CincinnatiCincinnatiOH$178k0
EAST GREENWICH NEWSEast GreenwichRI$178k1
Sandra Day OConnor Highschool Band BoostersHelotesTX$178k0
GISHRU ASSYRIA - ATRARIGHT TRIPGlenviewIL$178k0
PHFFFT COMPANY INCSeattleWA$178k2
Memphis Blues Performing Arts Association IncNashvilleTN$178k0
Rainier Chapter of the National Society of the DARSeattleWA$178k0
ORANGE PARK COMMUNITY THEATRE INCOrange ParkFL$178k2
DENVER MUSEUM OF MINIATURES DOLLS & TOYSLakewoodCO$178k1
HOUSTON TAMIL STUDIES CHAIR INCHoustonTX$178k0
FAOU FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$178k0
LITTLE ITALY OF LOS ANGELES ASSOCIATIONSan PedroCA$178k0
IRON CROW THEATRE COMPANY INCBaltimoreMD$178k1
VIRGINIA REGIONAL BALLET INCWilliamsburgVA$178k2
Sunnyvale Community PlayersSunnyvaleCA$178k0
Public Truth Media FoundationLos AngelesCA$178k0
GILLETTE MAIN STREETGilletteWY$178k0
SPOONER BLOCK PARTY INCShell LakeWI$178k0
TELUGU ASSOC OF JACKSONVILLE AREA INCSaint JohnsFL$178k0
Disco RiotSan DiegoCA$178k1
THE BROWNVILLE CONCERT SERIES INCBrownvilleNE$178k0
ISLAMIC LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE OF AMERICAClarksvilleMD$178k1