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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 500 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
PALM BEACH STAGE INCBoca RatonFL$105k0
VIVA BavariaNorth OlmstedOH$105k5
YUN INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FOUNDATIONPhiladelphiaPA$105k0
The Texas Military Forces Historical FoundationAustinTX$105k0
LITTLE THEATRE OFF BROADWAYGrove CityOH$105k0
OUT at the MoviesWinston SalemNC$105k1
LOWER DEPTH THEATRE ENSEMBLELos AngelesCA$105k0
Fusion Color Guard IncSuccasunnaNJ$105k0
THE UNITED STATES CHINESE KUOSHU FEDERATION INCReisterstownMD$105k0
San Francisco Music MissionSacramentoCA$105k0
SOUNDWAVES PORT CHESTER INCRyeNY$105k0
HISTORIC JESSOPS CHURCH INCSparksMD$105k0
CHANGING FUTURES INCLynnfieldMA$105k0
ST LOUIS SCOTTISH GAMESChesterfieldMO$105k0
ARKANSAS FESTIVAL BALLET INCLittle RockAR$105k0
COMMON FOUNDATION INCAmherstMA$104k0
UPSTART CROWS OF SANTE FESanta FeNM$104k0
LANCASTER CREATIVE REUSELancasterPA$104k1
THE LONGMEADOW HISTORICAL SOCIETYLongmeadowMA$104k0
SHAKESPEARE ON THE EDGEMonroeWI$104k2
AUSTIN CELTIC ASSOCIATIONAustinTX$104k1
SHARING NOTESChicagoIL$104k2
Highland Park ArtsDallasTX$104k0
Elgin Historical SocietyElginIA$104k0
ARABIC SCHOOL OF CHICAGOBensenvilleIL$104k0
SULPHUR SPRINGS MUSEUMTampaFL$104k2
GUY GROVE FAMILY FOUNDATIONStillwaterMN$104k0
TheatreLab IncRichmondVA$104k0
CONCORDIA MUSIC CONSERVATORY INCConcordiaMO$104k1
ORGAN VESPERS SERIES INCORPORATEDOmahaNE$104k1
SPORTS ADMINISTRATION INCMedford LakesNJ$104k0
3333 WASHINGTON INCSt LouisMO$104k0
LUREN SINGING SOCIETYDecorahIA$104k0
HALESTONE FOUNDATIONLexingtonVA$104k0
Chamber Music Connection IncWorthingtonOH$104k0
PARISH CENTER FOR THE ARTS INCWestfordMA$104k0
Northwest Arkansas Regional Dance CompanyRogersAR$104k0
THE MILLENNIAL THEATRE COMPANYGirardOH$104k0
URBAN ARTISTRY INCSilver SpringMD$104k0
PLUS 91 FOUNDATIONBrooklynNY$104k0
PLEASE DONT DIE BLACK MENVancouverWA$104k1
THE GAY MENS CHORUS OF TAMPA BAY INCTampaFL$104k2
WENTWORTH NORTON GROUP INCRedlandsCA$104k0
German Institute for the SouthwestHoustonTX$104k1
Flemington DIYFlemingtonNJ$104k0
BULGARIAN CULTURAL CENTERTroyMI$104k0
COAHOMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND AGGIEClarksdaleMS$104k0
TAPESTRY PRODUCTIONSPetalumaCA$104k0
Canadian Arts AllianceCanadianTX$104k0
Nebraska Firefighters FoundationKearneyNE$104k1