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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 41 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Artists Repertory TheatrePortlandOR$4.1M1
BROOKLYN YOUTH CHORUS ACADEMY INCBrooklynNY$4.1M2
SOUTHWEST DAIRY MUSEUM INCSulphur SpringsTX$4.1M1
INDIJ PUBLIC MEDIAPhoenixAZ$4.1M2
AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE FOUNDATION INCCambridgeMA$4.1M2
BIRTHPLACE OF COUNTRY MUSIC INCBristolTN$4.1M2
THE CORPORATION FOR THOMAS JEFFERSON'S POPLAR FORESTForestVA$4.1M2
HUDSON RIVER MUSEUM OF WESTCHESTERYonkersNY$4.1M3
PRESERVATION HALL FOUNDATION INCNew OrleansLA$4.1M3
SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGYWashingtonDC$4.1M3
TUCSON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC DBA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM TUCSONTucsonAZ$4.1M2
MADISON PROJECTSanta MonicaCA$4.1M4
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF NW ARKANSASBentonvilleAR$4.1M2
PROJECT HEALTHY MINDSNew YorkNY$4.1M4
Orlando Shakespeare Theater IncOrlandoFL$4.1M2
FRIENDS OF THE NEW YORK TRANSIT MUSEUMBrooklynNY$4.1M2
THE WILMA THEATERPhiladelphiaPA$4.1M2
LIVING HISTORY FARMS FOUNDATIONDes MoinesIA$4.1M1
CAFE 1040 INCAlpharettaGA$4.1M3
MASSACHUSETTS FOUNDATION FOR THE HUMANITIES & PUBLIC POLICY INCNorthamptonMA$4.1M2
Radio Bilingue IncFresnoCA$4.1M1
OREGON COUNTRY FAIREugeneOR$4.1M1
SOUTH DAKOTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRASioux FallsSD$4.1M1
RAILROADING HERITAGE OF MIDWEST AMERICA INCBlaineMN$4.1M3
BROOKLYN ARTS COUNCIL INCBrooklynNY$4M1
COALITION FOR APP FAIRNESSWashingtonDC$4M0
SOULSVILLE FOUNDATIONMemphisTN$4M4
TOWN OF NORMAL CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM FOUNDATIONNormalIL$4M0
NEW HAVEN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND IDEAS INCNew HavenCT$4M2
MEMPHIS MUSEUMS OF SCIENCE & HISTORYMemphisTN$4M1
GREATER DES MOINES PUBLIC ART FOUNDATIONDes MoinesIA$4M1
KALEIDEUMWinstonsalemNC$4M1
KANSAS PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE INCWichitaKS$4M1
ORLANDO MUSEUM OF ART INCOrlandoFL$4M1
ZORAS HOUSEColumbusOH$4M1
THE VALENTINE MUSEUMRichmondVA$4M1
HARVARD MAGAZINE INCCambridgeMA$4M9
STRINGS MUSIC FESTIVALSteamboat SpringsCO$4M1
THE PHILADELPHIA CULTURAL FUND INCPhiladelphiaPA$4M1
SCIENCE MUSEUM OF VIRGINIA FOUNDATION INCRichmondVA$4M5
HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA INCPhiladelphiaPA$4M1
VIRGINIA STAGE COMPANYNorfolkVA$4M2
Chicago International Film Festival Inc Cinema-ChicagoChicagoIL$4M1
Monterey Jazz FestivalMontereyCA$4M3
FOUNDATION FOR THE READING PUBLIC MUSEUMReadingPA$4M2
DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS ASSOCIATION DBA CENTERPOINT LEGACY THEATRECentervilleUT$4M1
INNER-CITY ARTSLos AngelesCA$4M6
GAGE ACADEMY OF ARTSeattleWA$4M1
NASHVILLE OPERA ASSOCIATIONNashvilleTN$4M1
SFPBS FOUNDATION INCBoynton BeachFL$4M3