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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 43 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
HERBIE HANCOCK INSTITUTE OF JAZZWashingtonDC$3.9M4
ORIGINAL MUSIC WORKSHOP INCBrooklynNY$3.9M4
Coalition of Asian American LeadersSt PaulMN$3.9M2
AMERICAN BLUES THEATER NFPChicagoIL$3.9M1
CLARE BOOTHE LUCE CENTER FOR CONSERVATIVE WOMENHerndonVA$3.9M1
ASAHI GAKUENTorranceCA$3.9M2
CITYDANCE PRODUCTIONS INCWashingtonDC$3.9M1
FRIST ART MUSEUM FOUNDATIONNashvilleTN$3.9M2
THE CONNECTICUT PLAYERS FOUNDATION INC D/B/A LONG WHARF THEATRENew HavenCT$3.9M3
TALES OF THE COCKTAIL FOUNDATION INCMetairieLA$3.9M0
Van Cliburn Foundation IncFort WorthTX$3.9M6
SAN DIEGO HABITAT CONSERVANCYSan DiegoCA$3.8M1
WESTHAMPTON BEACH PERFORMING ARTS CENTERWesthampton BeachNY$3.8M3
MISSION WEST VIRGINIA INCHurricaneWV$3.8M1
JAMES A MICHENER ART MUSEUMDoylestownPA$3.8M2
ENSEMBLE THEATRE OF CINCINNATICincinnatiOH$3.8M2
PHOENIX PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INCPhoenixAZ$3.8M2
MUSEUM OF DISCOVERYLittle RockAR$3.8M2
BELLE MEADE MANSIONNashvilleTN$3.8M2
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART INCNorth MiamiFL$3.8M0
INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE CENTER INCHamiltonNJ$3.8M1
ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICAHersheyPA$3.8M1
ROBERSON MUSEUM AND SCIENCE CENTERBinghamtonNY$3.8M1
THE INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTER INCJoplinMO$3.8M1
THE GREEN-WOOD HISTORIC FUND INCBrooklynNY$3.8M13
ATLANTA JEWISH FILM SOCIETY INCSmyrnaGA$3.8M2
Children's Cancer AssociationPortlandOR$3.8M6
York Theatre Company IncNew YorkNY$3.8M1
SHAKESPEARE THEATRE OF NEW JERSEYFlorham ParkNJ$3.8M1
HIPPODROME FOUNDATION INCBaltimoreMD$3.8M1
CITY LORE INCNew YorkNY$3.8M2
PEOPLES ADVOCACY INSTITUTEJacksonMS$3.8M0
LINDSAY WILDLIFE MUSEUMWalnut CreekCA$3.8M1
CENTER FOR FATHERS AND FAMILIESSacramentoCA$3.8M0
ACTOR'S GANG INCLos AngelesCA$3.8M0
The Workmen's Circle Arbeter Ring IncNew YorkNY$3.8M6
ARMENIAN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONGlendaleCA$3.8M0
PERMIAN BASIN PETROLEUM MUSEUM LIBRARY AND HALL OF FAMEMidlandTX$3.8M2
DMNS FOUNDATIONDenverCO$3.8M0
KARAMU HOUSE INCClevelandOH$3.8M3
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF THE UPSTATE INCGreenvilleSC$3.8M0
Latinos ProgresandoChicagoIL$3.8M1
NEW ORLEANS CENTER FOR CREATIVE ARTS FOUNDATIONNew OrleansLA$3.8M3
THE PARTNERSHIP INCBostonMA$3.8M6
Edventure IncColumbiaSC$3.8M2
DALLAS CHILDRENS THEATER INCDallasTX$3.8M2
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION INCWashingtonDC$3.8M4
Colorado Springs Philharmonic OrchestraColorado SpringsCO$3.8M2
THE MAP FUND INCNew YorkNY$3.8M1
THE MONASTERY FOUNDATIONChicagoIL$3.8M0