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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 485 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Spotlight Cast & CrewFort WorthTX$111k1
Lake Superior TheatreMarquetteMI$111k0
REFUGEES & IMMIGRANTS CULTURAL EMPOWERMENT MASSACHUSETTS INCWorcesterMA$111k0
GUILD OF NATURAL SCIENCE ILLUSTRATORS INCWashingtonDC$111k0
SHINING STARS NETWORK INCColoniaNJ$111k0
Jim and Freddie King Family Foundation ITopsail BeachNC$111k0
North Carolina Youth Tap EnsembleChapel HillNC$111k0
Red Barn Players of Ellwood CityEllwood CityPA$111k0
STIRLING ART STUDIOS & GALLERY INCDunedinFL$111k0
THE SPANISH INSTITUTECarlsbadCA$111k0
Christina Pirello Health Education InitiPhiladelphiaPA$111k0
TRENT HOUSE ASSOCIATION INCTrentonNJ$111k1
FRIENDS OF THE OLD CROTON AQUEDUCTDobbs FerryNY$111k0
NATIVE AMERICAN BEAR FOUNDATIONSonomaCA$111k0
SANTA ROSA CNTY CREEK INDIAN TRIBEMiltonFL$111k0
FORT PRESERVATION SOCIETYTaftCA$111k3
AUSTIN UNCONDUCTEDAustinTX$111k3
SCOTTSBORO MULTICULTURAL FOUNDATION LLCScottsboroAL$111k0
BELTON CENTER FOR THE ARTSBeltonSC$111k2
DESIGNCONNECTBirminghamMI$111k1
JAZZ STEPPING STONESOceansideCA$111k1
GREENBELT CULTURAL ARTS CENTER INCGreenbeltMD$111k0
YELLOWSTONE BALLET COMPANYLivingstonMT$111k0
AEGIS CHARITIESViennaVA$111k0
CLARKSVILLE LITTLE THEATRE INCClarksvilleIN$111k0
INTERMOUNTAIN WEAVERS CONFERENCEProvoUT$111k0
TEXAS BRAZOS TRAIL REGIONRound RockTX$111k1
SHELTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCSheltonCT$111k1
ODYSSEY CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES INCColumbiaMO$111k2
Fort Mill Community PlayhouseFort MillSC$111k0
TELOS-PAUL PICCONE INSTITUTE INCNew YorkNY$111k0
TRILOGY AN OPERA COMPANYNewarkNJ$111k1
PHILADELPHIA DANCE PROJECTSPhiladelphiaPA$111k1
Sketchbook Theatre IncForest HillsNY$111k1
KIDS CODE & COMPUTER SCIENCE INCWoodmereNY$111k0
ALTA DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCDinubaCA$111k0
SISSYMARYSUE EDUCATION FUNDSt CloudMN$111k0
THE ME LLAMO ART FOUNDATION INCBostonMA$111k0
WETHERSFIELD ACADEMY FOR THE ARTS INCWethersfieldCT$111k0
UNITED HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERSLaredoTX$111k0
CHARM CITY SINGS INCLaurelMD$111k2
MOUNTAIN COLLEGIUMCharlotteNC$111k8
Next Echo Foundation IncLos AngelesCA$111k0
CO OF MILITARY HISTORIANSRutlandMA$111k0
METRO YOUTH THEATRE OF OKLAHOMAYukonOK$111k2
CAMPEdinaMN$111k1
NEW GROUND THEATREEast MolineIL$111k0
THE ARTWORK OF REUBEN HALE INCWest Palm BeachFL$111k0
NORMAN HOLLAND-HULL INSTRUMENT LIBRPhiladelphiaPA$111k1
MISSOURI ALLIANCE FOR ARTS EDUCATIONKansas CityMO$111k0