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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 387 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
BAY AREA YOUTH BALLETSan FranciscoCA$174k1
BIG J SHOW CARESBillingsMT$174k0
LAGUNA BEACH LIVELaguna BeachCA$174k1
SAN FRANCISCO WOMEN ARTISTSSan FranciscoCA$174k0
American Showcase Theatre Co Inc T/A MetroStageAlexandriaVA$174k0
MACAVOY FOUNDATION INCCarversvillePA$174k0
Carousel Dance Company IncWest HillsCA$174k0
DOWNTOWN ASHEBORO INCAsheboroNC$174k1
FILMFORUM INCLos AngelesCA$174k3
GREATER KENT HISTORICAL SOCIETYKentWA$174k1
LIGONIER VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETYLaughlintownPA$174k1
FAULT LINE THEATRE INCNew YorkNY$174k2
CHINO YOUTH MUSEUMChinoCA$174k0
STAGE 212 INCLa SalleIL$174k0
TOWN AND GOWN THEATRE INCStillwaterOK$174k0
DES MOINES COUNTY FAIR ASSOCIATIONBurlingtonIA$174k2
OHLOOK PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INCHurstTX$174k2
ALTOONA RENAISSANCE TEAM INCAltoonaPA$174k0
FBZ Archivos Foundation IncCoral GablesFL$174k0
THE CALIFORNIA 9-11 MEMORIALFresnoCA$174k0
NEW CANAAN CHAMBER MUSIC INCNew CanaanCT$174k0
Cappies of The National Capital AreaFairfaxVA$174k1
Clarkston Conservatory of Music IncClarkstonMI$174k3
ABBY WEED GREY GALLERY FUND UNDER THE ABBY WESt LouisMO$174k4
CULTURAL ALLIANCE OF WESTERN CONNECTICUT INCDanburyCT$174k0
GUSTAV STICKLEY HOUSE FOUNDATION INCSyracuseNY$174k0
MEXICAN FOLKLORIC DANCE COMPANY OF CHICAGO INCChicagoIL$174k0
Ouachita African American Historical Society IncMonroeLA$174k0
ROCKPORT LITTLE THEATERRockportTX$174k0
OAK HILL CEMETERY HISTORIC PRESERVATION FOUNDATIONWashingtonDC$174k0
VAULT THEATRE LIMITEDDurhamNC$174k1
Wild Horse ProductionsCarson CityNV$174k0
SJDANCECOSan JoseCA$174k0
Shandaken Theatrical Society IncPhoeniciaNY$174k0
QUEST CENTER FOR ART & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INCDicksonTN$174k3
THE JAMES & EDITH SPAIN FOUNDATION C/O PATRICK J SPAINAustinTX$174k0
CINCINNATI VOLLEYBALL CLUB INCWest ChesterOH$174k0
Epoch Arts IncEast HamptonCT$174k1
AREA COMMUNITY THEATRE INMitchellSD$174k0
ROCK TO RECOVERYLaguna BeachCA$174k0
MAKER PARK RADIO INCORPORATEDStaten IslandNY$174k0
OLGA IGLESIAS PROJECT INCWestonFL$174k1
WINGS OVER MIAMI MUSEUM INCMiamiFL$174k0
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF FONDATION BEYELERNew YorkNY$174k0
Kelley House Museum IncorporatedMendocinoCA$173k0
CHARLOTTESVILLE CONTEMPORARY ARTS INCCharlottesvilleVA$173k0
EVAH C CRAY HISTORICAL HOME MUSEUM INCAtchisonKS$173k1
SOUTHERN NV HOMESCHOOL PERFORMING ARTSLas VegasNV$173k4
GREATER SEATTLE KOREAN ASSOCIATIONTukwilaWA$173k0
ALABAMA CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORYHuntsvilleAL$173k0