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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 473 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
KENOSHA COMMUNITY MEDIA INCKenoshaWI$117k1
CHALLENGE LITERATURE FELLOWSHIP USALebanonOH$117k0
Broad Street ReviewPhiladelphiaPA$117k0
GUERNICA INCBrooklynNY$117k0
REAGAN HIGH SCHOOL DANCE BOOSTERSPfafftownNC$117k0
Hartselle Area Chambr of Comm FoundationHartselleAL$117k0
SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI IN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUTGreenwichCT$117k0
MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF GREATER HOUSTON INCHoustonTX$117k1
Wild West History Association IncSaffordAZ$117k0
Driftwood Historical Conservation SocietyDriftwoodTX$117k0
SAVANNAH SCOTTISH GAMES INCSavannahGA$117k0
THE NOYES SCHOOL OF RHYTHM FOUNDATION INCPortlandCT$117k0
Michigan State Numismatic SocietyAlgonacMI$117k0
Indiana Wind Symphony IncIndianapolisIN$117k3
METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA OF SAINT LOUISSt LouisMO$117k4
Joshuas StageAustinTX$117k0
LIBERTY GROVE HISTORICAL SOCIETYEllison BayWI$117k0
CHESAPEAKE FILM FESTIVAL INCEastonMD$117k1
Valley Classical Concerts IncGreenfieldMA$117k0
SUMMERSONGS INCNew Port RicheyFL$117k4
DELPHI PRESERVATION SOCIETY INCDelphiIN$117k0
NORTHERN LIGHT OPERA COMPANY INCORPORATEDPark RapidsMN$117k10
DREIBELBIS FARM HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCHamburgPA$117k0
ESCONDIDO HISTORY CENTEREscondidoCA$117k0
Frog & Peach Theater Company IncNew YorkNY$117k1
YOUTH SINGERS OF THE BAY AREAHoustonTX$117k5
TAK ENSEMBLE MUSIC INCRidgewoodNY$117k5
WILLIS WONDERLAND FOUNDATIONSanta MonicaCA$117k0
GKSB ENTERPRISESPhiladelphiaPA$117k0
CHORUS ABILENEAbileneTX$117k2
INTERNATIONAL MAP INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONHanoverMD$117k0
SALTILLO HISTORICAL COMMITTEESaltilloMS$117k0
Judith River Foundation IncMaltaMT$117k0
Mud Creek Players IncIndianapolisIN$117k1
ZEIDE FAMILY FOUNDATIONAtlantaGA$117k0
NORTHERN LIGHTS VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE ASSNIsantiMN$117k0
HELLO HAPPINESS CREATIVITY CENTERSheboyganWI$117k1
YARMOUTH NEW CHURCH PRESERVATION FOUNDATIONYarmouth PortMA$117k0
BOONVILLE BAND SPONSORS CLUB INCBoonvilleIN$117k0
PITTSBURGH FIRE FIGHTERS FOUNDATION INCPittsburghPA$117k0
AUSTINTOWN BAND PARENTS CLUBYoungstownOH$117k0
KERALA ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTONBellevueWA$117k0
MIDDLESEX COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYMiddletownCT$117k0
WASHINGTON MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONVancouverWA$117k0
NEW YORK PILGRIM MISSIONARY DANCE INCCollege PointNY$117k0
BOMBSHELL THEATRE COMPANYWauwatosaWI$117k0
EVERGREEN THEATER INCGreen BayWI$117k0
NORTH GEORGIA COMMUNITY PLAYERS INCClaytonGA$117k0
Brookings Arts CouncilBrookingsSD$117k0
TRYLINE RUGBY CLUB INCWestportCT$117k0