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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 514 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
MEMORIAL HALL FOUNDATION INCNew OrleansLA$99k0
GERMAN AMERICAN CULTURAL FOUNDATION INCAtlantaGA$99k0
THE LUBBOCK CHORALELubbockTX$99k0
COLUMBIA VANTAGE POINT FOUNDATION INCColumbiaMD$99k0
MAAM FOUNDATIONLiberalKS$99k0
NEW ULM SUZUKI SCHOOL OF MUSICNew UlmMN$99k3
NAACH DI CLEVELANDClevelandOH$99k0
ARGA NOVA DANCEDallasTX$99k2
Holt Heritage CenterLoloMT$99k0
FOUNTAINS OF MUSICA FOUNDATIONNashvilleTN$99k0
HATCH AND FLOCKMinneapolisMN$99k0
INDIA CENTER INCSouth CharlestonWV$99k0
PIPESTONE AREA BAND PARENTS ASSOCIATIONPipestoneMN$99k0
THE ROBBINS HUNTER MUSEUM RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION CORPGranvilleOH$99k1
ROCHESTER RECREATION CLUB FOR THE DEAF INCRochesterNY$99k0
HELICON ARTS COOPERATIVEGlendaleCA$99k1
FRIENDS OF THE OPERA HOUSE INCWoodstockIL$99k0
DUBUQUE IRISH HOOLEY INCDubuqueIA$99k0
BLESSED UNREST THEATRE INCNew YorkNY$99k2
MILLENNIUM REPERTORY COMPANYManchesterTN$99k2
ALAMO MISSION CHAPTER OF DAUGHTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXASSan AntonioTX$99k0
INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY INITIATIVESWillitsCA$99k1
WASHINGTON PLACE FOUNDATIONHonoluluHI$99k0
CIRCUS CASCADIAGreshamOR$99k0
COMPETITION PARENTS ASSOCIATIONConnellsvillePA$99k0
Florida Elementary Music Educators Association IncWinter ParkFL$99k1
CHRONICLES OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA RINPOCHELongmontCO$99k0
MILLARD WEST DANCE TEAMOmahaNE$99k1
PEIYING CHINESE SCHOOL INCEllicott CityMD$99k2
SOUTHERN NEBRASKA ARTS COUNCILSuperiorNE$99k0
DANCE WIREPortlandOR$99k1
Pan Am Historical Foundation IncWalnut CreekCA$99k2
Friends of the HennEuclidOH$99k0
NEXUS PERFORMING ARTS COMPANY NFPChicagoIL$99k1
HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR INCBloomingtonIL$99k0
TWO RIVERS GALLERYWenatcheeWA$99k0
COCOA BEACH ART SHOW INCCocoa BeachFL$99k0
WEST INDIAN INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATIONSHartfordCT$99k0
LA CASA DE LA HERENCIA CULTURAL PUERTORRIQUENA INCNew YorkNY$99k0
BIG 3 GWINN MI INCGwinnMI$99k0
BAINBRIDGE LITTLE THEATRE LTDBainbridgeGA$99k0
TWIN CITIES IRANIAN CULTURE COLLECTIVENew BrightonMN$99k2
THE HART COUNTY KENTUCKY HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCMunfordvilleKY$99k0
OAKLAND HERITAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INCOaklandMD$99k0
CARLSBAD AREA ART ASSOCIATION INCCarlsbadNM$99k0
ARISE ORGANIZATIONCoronaCA$99k1
Buffalo Chamber Players IncBuffaloNY$99k2
ARTS ON THE LAKE INCCarmelNY$99k0
APOD PRODUCTIONS INCMoscowID$99k2
Friends of Hearthside IncLincolnRI$99k0