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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 535 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
LAB THEATER PROJECT INCTampaFL$90k0
Creative Artists' Studios Of Ames IncAmesIA$90k0
VALLEJO CHORAL SOCIETYVallejoCA$90k0
Freeport SpeechSouth FreeportME$90k0
UNITE OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI INCSpringfieldMO$90k1
Candelas Music and Arts FoundationLos AngelesCA$90k0
AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL ARTS & HISTORY CENTER-AACAHCBurlingtonNC$90k2
NEVADANS FOR CULTURAL PRESERVATIONLas VegasNV$90k3
Concert Dance IncChicagoIL$90k0
APERIOHoustonTX$90k0
CHORA NOVABerkeleyCA$90k0
TOWN AND GOWN PLAYERS INCAthensGA$90k0
FEAT BY FEETWhitefishMT$90k0
ANTHROPOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION OF CALIFORNIAPasadenaCA$90k0
PHILADELPHIA JEWISH SPORTS HALL OF FAME INCPhiladelphiaPA$90k0
Gallery 510 Art & Framing An Illinois Art GalleryDecaturIL$90k0
GRAHAM REGIONAL THEATERGrahamTX$90k0
THE CHESTNUT GROUP INCNashvilleTN$90k0
SOUTHERN INTERSCHOLASTIC PRESS USC COLLEGE OF MASS COMMUNICATIONColumbiaSC$90k1
BLYTHEWOOD HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUMBlythewoodSC$90k0
NATIONAL IMMIGRANT HERITAGE CENTERFarmingtonCT$90k0
Masterpiece Ministries IncLebanonTN$90k0
BEST FREQUENCIES INCSan FranciscoCA$90k0
SPOKANE CHAMBER MUSIC ASSOCIATIONSpokaneWA$90k5
LUNART INCMiddletonWI$90k1
CADILLAC AREA FESTIVALS AND EVENTSCadillacMI$90k0
PIKE COUNTY PIRATE REGIMENT MARCHING BAND BOOSTERSZebulonGA$90k0
STURGIS HISTORICAL SOCIETYSturgisMI$90k0
JACK OCONNOR HUNTING HERITAGE & EDUCATION CENTER INCLewistonID$90k1
MOSTLY MUSIC INCWestfieldNJ$90k0
UNBOUND VISUAL ARTSBrightonMA$90k1
HEAVENS HEARTSTRINGS MINISTRIESCedar HillTX$90k0
OCONOMOWOC FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS LTDOconomowocWI$90k0
CANTANTES IN CORDIBUS A NEW JERSEY NONPROFIT CORPORATIONHillsboroughNJ$90k1
STOVE WORKS FOUNDATIONChattanoogaTN$90k0
BLACK & WHITE PROJECT SPACE INCSouthamptonNY$90k0
CHARDA PUNJAB CLUB INCWest SacramentoCA$90k0
HOI DEN HUNG FOUNDATIONLa MesaCA$90k0
IMMERSE NONPROFITCosta MesaCA$90k0
MARGARET ROWLEY CLARKE FOUNDATIONCincinnatiOH$90k0
MOUND CEMETERY HERITAGE FOUNDATIONBrooklyn CenterMN$90k0
Restitution Study GroupNew YorkNY$90k1
WEST KENTUCKY PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM INCHendersonKY$90k0
NORTH PLATTE AREA CHILDREN'S MUSEUMNorth PlatteNE$90k0
OHIO HILLS FOLK FESTIVALQuaker CityOH$90k0
WHITE MOUNTAIN EXPRESSIVE ARTSOlympiaWA$90k0
AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL SCREEN FOUNDATION INCMiami BeachFL$90k1
PINE SHORES ART ASSOCIATION INCManahawkinNJ$90k0
PAPER CIRCLENelsonvilleOH$90k1
MHS SVPA BOOSTER CLUBMontclairNJ$90k0