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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 383 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
CHINESE LANGUAGE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION INCNormanOK$178k1
BITTERROOT CELTIC SOCIETYHamiltonMT$178k0
Adams County Historical SocietyBrightonCO$178k0
RIVER CITY SCULPTURES ON PARADE INMason CityIA$178k0
GROUND ZERO 360 INCNew YorkNY$178k0
HOLLIDAYSBURG AREA MUSIC PARENTS ASSOCIATIONHollidaysburgPA$178k0
WONG KONG HAR TONG OF HAWAIIHonoluluHI$178k0
Live After Five IncBaton RougeLA$178k0
Historic Fox Theatre RestorationsCentraliaWA$178k0
UPRIGHT THEATRE COMPANYEulessTX$177k4
FRIENDS OF THE KENFIELD GALLERYOgallalaNE$177k1
HISTORIC RUSSELLVILLE INCRussellvilleKY$177k0
VIETNAMESE AMERICAN YOUTH ALLIANCESan DiegoCA$177k0
AMERICAN VETERANS HERITAGE CENTER INCDaytonOH$177k0
ALPINE HILLS HISTORICAL MUSEUMSugarcreekOH$177k0
RHINEBECK WRITERS RETREAT INCStaatsburgNY$177k1
PIPER AVIATION MUSEUM FOUNDATIONLock HavenPA$177k0
Co-Lab ProjectsAustinTX$177k2
Friends of the Norfolk Public LibraryNorfolkVA$177k0
BEL CANTANTI OPERA COMPANYSilver SpringMD$177k2
LATSKY DANCE INCNew YorkNY$177k1
The Deanery School of MusicDavenportIA$177k0
CLEVELAND CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETYClevelandOH$177k0
JAVOR PITTSBURGHMarsPA$177k0
MacCallum More Museum & GardensChase CityVA$177k0
THREE AFFILIATED TRIBES MUSEUM INCNew TownND$177k0
Live From CainsTulsaOK$177k0
DAPPER AND DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMENColumbiaSC$177k0
KADIMA CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC INCSherman OaksCA$177k1
Cedar Creek Battlefield FoundationMiddletownVA$177k0
ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOPS CHARITABLE TRUSTMont VernonNH$177k1
BALTIMORE STEETCAR MUSEUM INCBaltimoreMD$177k0
HOTPOINT EMPORIUM ARTIST COLLABORATIVEBristolRI$177k0
THE SOUND BOARDGeismarLA$177k0
Cuttyhunk Historical Society IncCuttyhunkMA$177k0
CALLIOPE CREATIVE FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$177k1
OMNIDAWN PUBLISHING INCRichmondCA$177k0
FreeHorse ArtsHanoverVA$177k0
DUNES ART FOUNDATION INCMichigan CityIN$177k5
INSTITUTE 193 INCORPORATEDLexingtonKY$177k1
LEWES JUNCTION RAILROAD AND BRIDGE ASSOCIATION INCLewesDE$177k0
GRAND RAPIDS YOUTH CHORUSESGrand RapidsMI$177k2
THE NOLA PROJECT INCNew OrleansLA$177k1
HERSHEY AREA PLAYHOUSEHersheyPA$177k0
Southwest Playhouse Fine Arts CenterClintonOK$177k0
TURKISTANIAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION INCDoverNJ$177k0
AFFTON HISTORICAL SOCIETYAfftonMO$177k0
North London Mill Preservation IncAlmaCO$177k2
SOLI CHAMBER ENSEMBLESan AntonioTX$177k5
INDIA CULTURE CENTERHoustonTX$177k0