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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 519 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
PALM HARBOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCPalm HarborFL$97k0
Doctor Pickens Museum IncPonca CityOK$97k0
PICCO MUSIC ACADEMY INCRedlandsCA$97k1
MARBLE CITY OPERAKnoxvilleTN$97k1
North Atlanta Dance Theatre IncJohns CreekGA$97k0
BREATHE INKCharlotteNC$97k1
CollECtive Arts IncEau ClaireWI$97k0
Jonathan Alder Music Parents AssociationPlain CityOH$97k0
ISLAMIC ARTS SOCIETYSpringTX$97k0
Jewish Broadcasting Network CorporationChicagoIL$97k0
THE DANIELS FARMSTEAD FOUNDATION INCBlackstoneMA$97k0
Focus On Children United for Success IncBaltimoreMD$97k1
Friends of the La Loma AdobeSn Luis ObispCA$97k0
HISPANIC AMERICAN LEADERSHIP CLodiNJ$97k0
Just Care More IncBlytheCA$97k0
MADISON THEATRE GUILDMadisonWI$97k0
THE STERLING PLAYMAKERSSterlingVA$97k0
YOUNG NEW YORKERS CHORUSNew YorkNY$97k3
BLUE SUEDE CRUISE INCTupeloMS$97k0
NELSON T GANT FOUNDATIONZanesvilleOH$97k0
KEARNEY CONCERT ASSOCIATIONKearneyNE$97k0
ArtBuilds Collective LtdSacramentoCA$97k0
Martin County Arts Council IncWilliamstonNC$97k0
GEROS TOU MOREA INCLong Island CityNY$97k0
Musica Nova IncPhoenixAZ$97k1
NEW MADRID HISTORICAL MUSEUMNew MadridMO$97k0
SQUALLIS PUPPETEERS INCLouisvilleKY$97k2
Techhounds Boosters CoCarmelIN$97k0
Black Girl Hockey ClubRiversideCA$97k1
BROADWAY FOR ALLNew YorkNY$97k1
VALLEY FEST INCDunlapTN$97k0
KLIPSCH HERITAGE MUSEUM ASSOCIATION INCHopeAR$97k0
SAN ANTONIO MASTERSINGERSSan AntonioTX$97k0
LEX CENTER FOR CREATIVE REUSE INCLexingtonKY$97k0
National Chamber Ensemble IncArlingtonVA$97k1
OLD SANTA FE ASSOCIATION INCSanta FeNM$97k1
THE SELDOMSChicagoIL$97k1
AUGUST FOUNDATION INCSomervilleMA$97k0
FESTIVAL OF CINEMA INCGlendaleNY$97k0
THE CHILDREN'S CENTER FOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ENDOWMENT FUNDYoungstownOH$97k1
GREEK CULTURAL CENTER INCAstoriaNY$97k0
TISHOMINGO COUNTY HISTORICAL & GENEALOGICAL SOCIETYIukaMS$97k0
PROGRESSIVE TRIBAL ALLIANCEWindsorCA$97k0
NORTHERN MICHIGAN ANTIQUE FLYWHEELERS CLUB INCWalloon LakeMI$97k0
NASHVILLE BOURBON AUCTIONLos AngelesCA$97k0
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CELTIC CULTURAL COMMITTEEGlastonburyCT$97k0
SALEM KEIZER INSPIRATIONAL TEENSSalemOR$97k1
OHEVET OZEVET PRODUCTIONS INCPotomacMD$97k0
ROYCROFTERS-AT-LARGE ASSOCIATION INCEast AuroraNY$97k1
MARS REVIEW OF BOOKS FOUNDATIONJacksonWY$97k0