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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 517 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
STATE BAR OF GEORGIA FOUNDATION INCAtlantaGA$98k0
APPALACHIAN SOUTH FOLKLIFE CENTERPipestemWV$98k0
ELYSIAN SANCTUARY INCORPORATEDLimerickPA$98k0
DOBSON TAPE MINISTRYGreenvilleSC$98k0
E Pluribus Unum Films IncSeattleWA$98k0
MICHAEL D GILL MEMORIAL SOCIETYWashingtonDC$98k0
THE ARTIST SERIES OF TALLAHASSEE INCTallahasseeFL$98k1
SEVA DANCE COMPANYLenexaKS$98k0
MOUNTAIN LAKES HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONMountain LakesNJ$98k0
PORTLAND YOUTH DANCEPortlandME$98k0
SINO-AMERICAN CULTURAL COUNCIL INCAstoriaNY$98k0
BRENHAM MAIFEST ASSOCIATIONBrenhamTX$98k1
El Paseo Arts FoundationPort IsabelTX$98k0
JL MANN BAND BOOSTERSGreenvilleSC$98k0
Western Reserve PlayhouseRichfieldOH$98k0
YORKTOWN FOUNDATIONYorktownVA$98k0
DAKOTA SUNSET MUSEUMGettysburgSD$98k1
The Halide ProjectPhiladelphiaPA$98k0
MONTEZUMA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYCortezCO$98k0
CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF SOUTHERN MARYLAND IN CONCERT INCCaliforniaMD$98k1
THE ARTISANS VILLAGE INCEatontonGA$98k0
International Sharif Bible SocietySacramentoCA$98k0
SAVING GRACE NYCNew YorkNY$98k0
LENAWEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIAdrianMI$98k0
HISTORICAL SOCIETY VANDALIA BUTLERVandaliaOH$98k0
HUNTINGTON LIGHTHOUSE PRESERVATION SOCIETY INCHalesiteNY$98k0
NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILWAY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONKirklandWA$98k0
AIRPOWER MUSEUM INCOttumwaIA$98k0
Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble - STANCEDes MoinesWA$98k4
GUJARATI HERITAGE ASSOCIATION INCSan BenitoTX$98k0
BANGTOWN STUDIO ON THE GOBurtonMI$98k0
Kiski Valley Veterans & Patriots AssociationKittanningPA$98k0
KANNADA BHARATIBellevueWA$98k0
MARQUEZ ART PROJECTS INCCoral GablesFL$98k0
Richards DAR House IncMobileAL$98k0
BUSHFIRE THEATRE OF PERFORMING ARTSPhiladelphiaPA$98k0
THE BELLA ARTS FOUNDATIONSan DiegoCA$98k1
Zoe JuniperSeattleWA$98k0
MISS VIRGINIA VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION INCForestVA$98k0
THE UWHARRIE PLAYERS INCAlbemarleNC$98k3
EDGE ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANYKeeneNH$98k1
Easton Collaborative Theater IncMansfieldMA$98k0
PROJECT FOR THE ARTS AND DREAMS OF INDIGENOUS OAXALos AngelesCA$98k0
RIVERTREE SINGERSGreenvilleSC$98k2
The Woodman Residency Foundation LTDNew YorkNY$98k1
KUJIRA GAKUEN INCSan DiegoCA$97k0
TRUTHBASE THEATRICALS INCOrlandoFL$97k0
VIRGINIA CENTER FOR PUBLIC PRESSRichmondVA$97k0
55 MERCER STREET ARTISTS INCBrooklynNY$97k0
PALACIOS HOUSE OF ARTSBaton RougeLA$97k1