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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 532 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
STUDEBAKER NATIONAL MUSEUM FOUNDATION INCSouth BendIN$91k0
EDUCATION FRANCAISE LOS ANGELESLong BeachCA$91k1
THE FAF COALITION FAF COALITIONWoodburyNJ$91k0
STORYBOOK THEATRE OF HAWAIIHanapepeHI$91k0
Edge of the Universe Players 2 IncorporatedChevy ChaseMD$91k0
CLAN MUNRO ASSOCIATION USA INCWilliamsburgVA$91k0
PANZA FOUNDATIONCleveland HtsOH$91k0
PROMISE NETWORK INCBirminghamAL$91k1
YOUNG ARTS ARIZONA LTDPhoenixAZ$91k1
ARAB & CHALDEAN FESTIVALWest BloomfieldMI$91k0
MEXICO AZTECA INCEaganMN$91k0
Vita BroadcastingClovisCA$91k0
LANDER PRESENTS INCLanderWY$91k0
THE SANTA FE FILM FESTIVAL INCSanta FeNM$91k0
SHAW-MI-NO BAND PARENTS INC C/O GALEN WHISMANShawnee MissionKS$91k0
CORNERSTONE STUDIOS LIMITEDNew YorkNY$91k0
ORLANDO URBAN FILM FESTIVAL FOUNDATION INCOrlandoFL$91k0
BLUE JAY JAZZ FOUNDATIONBlue JayCA$91k0
DOWNTOWN NEWPORT ARTSCAPES INCNewportTN$91k2
COLLEGE BROADCASTERS INCHummelstownPA$91k1
Collaborative Solutions Institute IBloomingtonIL$91k0
SUGAR CREEK ART CENTER INCThorntownIN$91k0
ALASKA JAZZ WORKSHOPAnchorageAK$91k0
DAINTY JEWELLS FOUNDATIONLa GrandeOR$91k0
THEATRE ESPRESSO INCORPORATEDJamaica PlainMA$91k0
NORTH END CULTURAL CENTER INCWaterlooIA$91k2
BERWICK BOULEVARD ASSOCIATIONBerwickPA$91k0
Victoria Ballet Theater IncFort LeeNJ$91k0
KANSAS CITY FILMMAKERS JUBILEE INCKansas CityMO$91k0
FRICTION PERFORMING ARTSMountain ViewCA$91k2
Florida Chautauqua IncDefuniak SpringsFL$91k0
DUCKTOWN BASIN MUSEUMDucktownTN$91k1
AMERY AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM INCAmeryWI$91k0
HEARTLAND MUSEUM FOUNDATION INCClarionIA$91k0
BALLYHOO THEATREEdmondsWA$91k0
VEZZOSO SCHOOL OF MUSICDraperUT$91k0
GRAND RAPIDS WOMENS CHORUSGrand RapidsMI$91k0
DESERT QUILTERS OF NEVADALas VegasNV$91k0
PINEBROOK FOUNDATION INCGwynedd ValleyPA$91k1
MICHIGAN PEO FUND INCGrand BlancMI$91k0
UAC FOUNDATIONHeber CityUT$91k0
STUART PIMSLER DANCE & THEATER INCMinneapolisMN$91k2
KNOXVILLE CHORAL SOCIETYKnoxvilleTN$91k0
Sandcastle Island IncSouth Padre IslandTX$91k1
GUILFORD PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVALGuilfordCT$91k0
DERBY HISTORICAL SOCIETYAnsoniaCT$91k0
JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS ASSOCIATIONAtlantaGA$91k0
MAUI ACCESS TO MINDFUL MOVEMENTMakawaoHI$91k0
Camerata San AntonioSan AntonioTX$91k0
Fort New Salem Foundation IncSalemWV$91k0