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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 531 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Talking Horse ProductionsColumbiaMO$92k0
North Stars Band IncSioux CityIA$92k0
QUEEN CITY FILM & TELEVISION WORKSHOPPlainfieldNJ$92k3
MOUNT GRETNA ARTS COUNCIL INCMt GretnaPA$92k0
NORTH FORK TV FESTIVAL INCNew YorkNY$92k0
AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR THE PARIS SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS INCNew YorkNY$92k0
Festival of New American Musical Theater FoundationPacific PalisadesCA$92k0
THE ENAMELIST SOCIETY INCRoswellGA$92k1
NATIONAL MILITARY INTELLIGENCE FOUNDATION INCManassasVA$92k0
DUST-TO-DIGITAL FOUNDATION INCAtlantaGA$92k2
JAPANESE FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION OF NEVADALas VegasNV$92k0
CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF NEW ENGLAND INCBostonMA$92k1
SOCIETY OF ANIMAL ARTISTS INCBerthoudCO$92k1
BELTON-HONEA PATH MUSIC BOOSTERSHoneapathSC$92k0
Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance CompanyAustinTX$92k3
Washington Old Time Fiddlers AssociationTacomaWA$92k2
JuMP Company IncTwin FallsID$92k0
Designing For DemocracyNew OrleansLA$92k0
ACCOLADE THEATRERichardsonTX$92k0
KING WILLIAM COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYKing WilliamVA$92k0
New York Museum of TransportationWest HenriettaNY$92k0
Renew the Arts IncSugar HillGA$92k3
FORT POCAHONTAS LTDCharles CityVA$92k0
CHOICIRCIATI CULTURAL CENTER INCNew YorkNY$92k0
HOUSE OF TURKEYSan DiegoCA$91k0
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE FANTASTIC IN THE ARTSBoulderCO$91k0
GLENBROOK FIREWORKS INCGlenbrookNV$91k0
The Suffield Observer IncSuffieldCT$91k0
THE MEANINGFUL LIFE FOUNDATIONGoddardKS$91k1
CENTER FOR CIVIC ARTSPittsburghPA$91k1
KFAD INCBeloitWI$91k0
One Hallelujah IncChurchvilleNY$91k0
FIRST STREET GALLERY INC DBA FIRST STREET GALLERYNew YorkNY$91k0
SOUTHEAST COMMUNITY VENTURESAntiochTN$91k0
CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF EASTERN OREGONPendletonOR$91k0
ELIOS CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONLos GatosCA$91k2
RHYTHM CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONGrand PrairieTX$91k0
HILL AND HOLLOW MUSIC INCSaranacNY$91k0
BUCK CREEK PLAYERS INCIndianapolisIN$91k0
CENTRO GERONTOLOGICO LATINO INCNew YorkNY$91k0
HERITAGE HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FOUNDATIONLittletonCO$91k0
AIR ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE STUDIOGlencoeIL$91k0
BANGLADESH AMERICAN SOCIETY OF GREATER HOUSTONSugar LandTX$91k0
PUGET SOUND ANTIQUE TRACTOR & MACHINERY ASSOCIATIONLyndenWA$91k0
THE ST JAMES PLAYERSMyerstownPA$91k0
NEW LIFE FOUNDATIONDerwoodMD$91k0
Cooleemee Historical AssociationCooleemeeNC$91k0
SPT THEATRE COMPANYCedar RapidsIA$91k0
Kuaaina Associates IncBerkeleyCA$91k0
Southern Star Fine ArtsMidlothianTX$91k0