Skip to main content
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 471 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
SOUTH PORTLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETYSouth PortlandME$118k2
501 SEE THREE ARTS INCLos AngelesCA$118k0
ROSENCOMET PROJECTWillowickOH$118k0
THE 1103 MARKET STREET FOUNDATIONWilmingtonDE$118k0
SPOKANE JAZZ SOCIETYSpokaneWA$118k0
CHORAL SOCIETY OF ST CHARLES COUNTYSaint PetersMO$118k1
REFORMED FELLOWSHIP INCDorrMI$118k0
Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild AssocRehoboth BeachDE$118k1
ARMENIAN FILM FOUNDATIONPalos Verdes EstatesCA$118k0
TELUGU CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONAustinTX$118k0
Rhythm Visions Production CompanyRockvilleMD$118k2
CHINO BASQUE CLUBChinoCA$118k0
The County of Santa Barbara Arts FundSanta BarbaraCA$118k0
WAZEMA ETHIOPIA INCPflugervilleTX$118k0
PELAYO FOUNDATIONPacoimaCA$118k0
PHOENIX OPERA HOUSE & COMMUNITY CENRushvilleIL$118k0
HOMELAKE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION FOUNDATIONHomelakeCO$118k0
NASHVILLE HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONNashvilleTN$118k2
THE GEORGE JOSEPH AND SUSIE EZZELL ATTA MEMORIAL LIBRARY INCAbbevilleAL$118k3
Robson Ranch Classic Rock ClubDentonTX$118k0
TWIN CITIES MEDIA ALLIANCEMinneapolisMN$118k1
COMMUNITY ACTORS OF SOUTH TEXASBay CityTX$118k0
AURORA CHORUS INCPortlandOR$118k1
NORTH BEACH ARTISTS GUILDOcean ShoresWA$118k0
UTAH COUNTY DEPUTIES ASSOCIATIONSpanish ForkUT$118k1
THINK OUTSIDE THE VOXLittletonMA$118k0
WCUW INCWorcesterMA$118k1
Choral Assn of Parents and Students of John Hersey High School IncArlington HeightsIL$118k0
OKLAHOMA GROCERS EDUCATION FOUNDATIONOklahoma CityOK$118k0
COMMUNITY THEATER COMPANY OF BURLINGTON INCBurlingtonMA$118k3
INDIANA WRITERS CENTER INCIndianapolisIN$118k0
ARKANSAS BLACK HALL OF FAME FOUNDATLittle RockAR$118k0
Institute for Dismantling Racism IncWinston SalemNC$118k0
Studio at 550SomervilleMA$118k0
CAPITAL DISTRICT IRISH-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION INCAlbanyNY$118k0
FAIRFAX SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS INCFairfaxVA$118k0
YUMA ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATIONYumaAZ$118k0
SONS AND DAUGHTERS IN TOUCH INCArlingtonVA$118k0
NORTHERN OHIO FINE ARTS FUNDWilloughbyOH$118k0
TRUSTEES OF THE CORCORAN GALLERY OF ARTCastle RockCO$118k0
WCNE EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY RADIOOwensvilleOH$118k2
FRIENDS OF GILLESPIE COUNTY COUNTRY SCHOOLS INCFredericksburgTX$118k0
Fridley Creative Arts FoundationFridleyMN$118k0
LYRA MUSIC INCBeaconNY$118k2
GLENWOOD DANCE STUDIOChicagoIL$118k0
Stewart Owen Dance IncOld FortNC$118k3
Venice Heritage IncVeniceFL$118k0
WE MOVE IN COLOR COLLABORATIVE INCLas VegasNV$118k0
MAIN STREET MEDIA GROUPThree RiversMI$118k0
TRYON CONCERT ASSOCIATION INCTryonNC$118k0