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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 5 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
USS MIDWAY MUSEUMSan DiegoCA$39.8M8
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND INCLouisvilleKY$39.4M13
INTREPID MUSEUM FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$39.4M18
PUBLIC MEDIA GROUP OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIABurbankCA$39.2M16
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art IncMemphisTN$39.2M6
HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUSTMinneapolisMN$38.9M6
SEATTLE ART MUSEUMSeattleWA$38.9M11
Houston Symphony SocietyHoustonTX$38.8M10
MINNESOTA ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATIONMinneapolisMN$38.7M8
MUSIC ASSOCIATES OF ASPEN INCAspenCO$38.6M22
NAVY SEAL FOUNDATION INCVirginia BeachVA$38.6M7
AMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT INCWashingtonDC$38.1M9
Broadway Dallas IncDallasTX$38M10
COMMON SENSE MEDIASan FranciscoCA$38M13
PORTLAND ART MUSEUMPortlandOR$37.7M8
FOX THEATRE INC F/K/A ATLANTA LANDMARKS INCAtlantaGA$37.4M10
MUNICIPAL THEATRE ASSOCIATION OF ST LOUISSt LouisMO$37.2M9
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET ASSOCIATIONSeattleWA$37.2M10
The Smith Center for the Performing ArtsLas VegasNV$37M11
ARTIS-NAPLES INCNaplesFL$36.9M11
TRUSTEES OF CALDER GARDENSPhiladelphiaPA$36.7M0
PEROT MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCEDallasTX$36.6M11
Menil Foundation IncHoustonTX$36.4M7
STATUE OF LIBERTY ELLIS ISLAND FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$36.4M9
COLUMBUS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAColumbusOH$36.3M0
THE NELSON GALLERY FOUNDATIONKansas CityMO$36.2M6
SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTASt PaulMN$36.1M10
GUTHRIE THEATER FOUNDATIONMinneapolisMN$36.1M8
NC HISTORY CENTER ON THE CIVIL WAR EMANCIPATION & RECONSTRUCTION FOUNDATIONFayettevilleNC$35.8M1
LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTERJersey CityNJ$35.7M9
AMERICAN INDEPENDENT MEDIAWashingtonDC$35.7M2
CHICAGO PUBLIC MEDIA INCChicagoIL$35.6M13
NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR MUSEUM FOUNDATIONArlingtonTX$35.6M12
NATIONAL FOOTBALL MUSEUM INCCantonOH$35.3M10
COLUMBUS ASSOCIATION FOR THE PERFORMING ARTSColumbusOH$35.3M8
ASIAN ART MUSEUM FOUNDATION OF SAN FRANCISCOSan FranciscoCA$35.3M10
THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTELos AngelesCA$35.3M12
THE SANTA FE OPERASanta FeNM$35.1M8
MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETYSt LouisMO$35.1M8
Thomas Jefferson Foundation IncCharlottesvilleVA$35M10
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts IncLibertyNY$34.8M6
MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER INCMilwaukeeWI$34.8M6
NORTON MUSEUM OF ART INCWest Palm BeachFL$34.5M7
OVERTURE CENTER FOUNDATION INCMadisonWI$34.4M7
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts FoundationRichmondVA$34.2M7
ARTSQUESTBethlehemPA$34.2M5
THE KENNETH NOLAND FOUNDATIONPort ClydeME$34.1M1
NATIONAL BOARD OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL EXAMINERS INCChicagoIL$34.1M27
PROVIDENCE PERFORMING ARTS CENTERProvidenceRI$34.1M8
The Hobby Center FoundationHoustonTX$34M7