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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 515 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
TAIWANESE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION OF CAHacienda HtsCA$99k0
MARITIME SOCIETY OF OUR LADY OF HELP OF SCIACCA INCBostonMA$99k0
JOSEPH JEFFERSON AWARD COMMITTEEChicagoIL$99k0
HIGHWIRE IMPROV INCORPORATEDBaltimoreMD$99k4
Gallery 263 IncCambridgeMA$99k0
SITKA MARITIME HERITAGE SOCIETYSitkaAK$99k0
LIONS LINCOLN THEATRE INCMassillonOH$99k0
ORANGE COUNTY BALLET THEATERLaguna HillsCA$99k0
THE SHAE FOUNDATIONApisonTN$99k0
SPARK THEATER COMPANY INCDothanAL$99k0
WINTER PARK VOICE INCWinter ParkFL$99k0
WILSON BRUCE EVANS HOME HISTORICAL SOCIETYOberlinOH$99k0
THE RISE MOVEMENTSan AntonioTX$99k1
EXPRESSIONS ARTSRedmondWA$99k0
WOMENS THEATRE FESTIVAL IncRaleighNC$99k3
UNITED FILIPINO COUNCIL OF HAWAIIKoloaHI$99k0
SOUTHERN MONMOUTH COUNTY FIRE MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONWallNJ$99k0
Attic Theatre IncAtlantaIN$99k0
Florida Keys Concert Association IncMarathon ShoresFL$99k0
JAPAN AMERICA SOCIETY OF MINNESOTAMinneapolisMN$99k2
Los Angeles Lawyers PhilharmonicBeverly HillsCA$99k0
Central Virginia Chinese SchoolGlen AllenVA$99k0
ST LOUIS IX ART SOCIETY FOUNDATIONMandevilleLA$99k2
UNIQUE STEPS DANCE ACADEMY TWO INCN AttleboroMA$99k0
BARCEL SUZUKI STRING ACADEMY INCWauwatosaWI$99k3
VETERANS MEMORIAL MUSEUM FOUNDATIONGermantownOH$99k0
LANDIS THEATER FOUNDATION INCVinelandNJ$99k0
Princeton Youth Ballet IncPrincetonNJ$99k0
TOPICAL CREAM INCNew YorkNY$99k0
PAINTSVILLE LAKE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION INCPaintsvilleKY$99k0
WARBIRD PRESERVATION FOUNDATIONBettendorfIA$99k0
A REFLECTION OF MEEl PortalFL$99k2
SOCIETY FOR PRESERVATION & ENCOURMT OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING AMERStevens PointWI$99k0
HIVEWILD DANCE COMPANY INCBrooklynNY$99k1
THE LUTHERAN MUSIC ACADEMY OF GALVESTON ISLAND INCGalvestonTX$99k0
Transparent Watercolor Society of AmericaOconomowocWI$99k0
ART AND MUSIC CENTER INCRio VistaCA$98k0
EXPRESSIONS PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL AND THEATRE INCFlower MoundTX$98k3
2 Inspire Peace IncDallasTX$98k0
Oklahoma Competitive Champions IncorporatedJenksOK$98k0
Pictura at FAR IncBloomingtonIN$98k0
Vail Valley Art GuildAvonCO$98k6
DC CONCERT ORCHESTRA SOCIETYWashingtonDC$98k2
WHIRLWIND DANCE CORPColumbusOH$98k1
SOUTHWESTERN WATERCOLOR SOCIETYDallasTX$98k0
DANEVILLE HERITAGE ASSOCIATIONViborgSD$98k0
NATCHITOCHES NSU SYMPHONY SOCINatchitochesLA$98k0
NORTHERN AZ RESTORATIVE JUSTICESedonaAZ$98k0
HUNGARIAN CULTURAL CENTER OF NORTHEAST OHIOChagrin FallsOH$98k0
DISCIPLESHIP TAPE MINISTRIES INCSan AntonioTX$98k2