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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 544 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
CORONET CLUB SWEET ADELINES INTERNATIONALTulsaOK$87k0
STAGE THEATER COJonesboroAR$87k0
FLUSHING CITY HALL RESTORATION FOUNDATIONFlushingMI$87k0
MANHATTAN ENSEMBLE THEATRE INCNew YorkNY$87k0
OLIVE RUSH MEMORIAL STUDIO INCOlympiaWA$87k0
PORT ANGELES COMMUNITY PLAYERS INCPort AngelesWA$87k0
THINGAMAJIGSOaklandCA$87k0
NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIESShamokinPA$87k0
RAINIER SYMPHONYSeattleWA$87k1
MAIMOUNA KEITA SCHOOL OF AFRICAN DANCE INCBrooklynNY$87k0
WARROAD SUMMER THEATRE COMPANYWarroadMN$87k3
Broken Leg ProductionsWakefieldMA$87k1
CANAL WINCHESTER LABOR DAY FESTIVAL INCCanal WnchstrOH$87k0
DARPA EXCHANGE ORGANIZATIONArlingtonVA$87k0
Jazz Society of OregonPortlandOR$87k0
COMMUNITY PLAYERS OF HOBBS INCHobbsNM$87k0
Matthews Historical Foundation IncMatthewsNC$87k0
HARVARD CULTURAL COLLABORATIVEHarvardMA$87k0
RENEW THEATERS INCAmblerPA$87k1
COMMON FENCE MUSIC COMPANYNewportRI$87k0
NORTHPORT COMMUNITY ARTS CENTERNorthportMI$87k3
Friends of No 9 IncNovatoCA$87k0
THE ROBERT & JANE MEYERHOFF MODERN ART FOUNDATION INCCockeysvilleMD$87k4
SPARK THEATRE COMPANY INCElyriaOH$87k1
FRIENDS OF THE MUSIC MANSION INCCranstonRI$87k0
SAN DIEGO JAZZ PARTYEscondidoCA$87k0
SMOKY MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY THEATREBryson CityNC$87k0
Midwest Save Our Ancestors Remains and Resources Indigenous Network Group FoundChicagoIL$87k1
RHAPSODY WINTERGUARDMill CreekWA$87k0
STEP 2 THIS DANCE FUNDRAISING ASSOCAntiochCA$87k0
GREATER BUCKEYE LAKE HISTORICAL SOCIETYBuckeye LakeOH$87k1
ERISAT-ERITREAN SATELLITE TELEVISIONLos AngelesCA$87k0
TIOGA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYWellsboroPA$87k1
EAST WEST DANCE THEATRE INCGermantownMD$87k3
STORY CITY HISTORICAL SOCIETYStory CityIA$87k0
DUNCAN LITTLE THEATREDuncanOK$87k0
THE CENTER FOR LESS UNPLEASANT LIVING INCNew YorkNY$87k1
GIRLS ROCK INDIANAPOLIS INCIndianapolisIN$87k5
OBRA COLLECTIVECharlotteNC$87k0
MIXED BAG PRODUCTIONSSan FranciscoCA$87k1
QUINCE NEW MUSICWinonaMN$87k4
The Prologue Society IncMiamiFL$87k1
Summer Musical EnterpriseBlacksburgVA$87k0
Hope RootsFort CollinsCO$87k1
PEARCE AREA ORCHESTRA CLUB INCRichardsonTX$87k0
RENO POPS ORCHESTRARenoNV$87k0
STRATA GALLERYSanta FeNM$87k0
LOOK WHAT SHE DIDLos AngelesCA$87k0
BLACKWOOD THEATER ORGAN SOCIETY DBA BLACKWOOD ARTSHarrisvillePA$87k0
TRINITY-ON-MAIN LTDNew BritainCT$87k0