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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 547 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
THE CLARION FOUNDATIONStanfordCA$86k1
CLASSICAL RECORDING FOUNDATION INCSouth SalemNY$86k0
COUNTRY THEATRE WORKSHOPCissna ParkIL$86k0
COPPELL COMMUNITY CHORUSCoppellTX$86k0
EMMET COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYEsthervilleIA$86k0
COWGIRLS OF THE WESTCheyenneWY$86k0
BANNEKER SCHOOL FOUNDATION AND HISTORIC SITE IN PARKVILLE MOKansas CityMO$86k0
The PS Foundation for the ArtsAustinTX$86k3
DRAGON MEN PUBLISHING INCSanta ClaraCA$86k0
SPECIWOMEN INCBrooklynNY$86k0
COASTAL PERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATIONPismo BeachCA$86k0
BERKSHIRE CHILDRENS CHORUS INCSheffieldMA$86k2
MID SOUTH SCULPTURE ALLIANCE INCMurfreesboroTN$86k0
PASCHAL THEATRE BOOSTERFort WorthTX$86k0
BROOKINGS SUMMER ARTS FESTIVALBrookingsSD$86k0
hmong association incLincolnAR$86k0
WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER FOUNDATIONBremertonWA$86k0
JAMOCHA ARTS CENTEREast ClevelandOH$86k0
THE CAIRO HISTORICAL PRESERVATION PROJECT INCCairoIL$86k0
MILES THROUGH TIME INCClarkesvilleGA$86k0
INSIDE OUT STUDIO INCHuntsvilleAL$86k0
TADA PRODUCTIONS INCLincolnNE$86k0
Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition IncClearwaterFL$86k4
Pioneer Quilters GuildRocklinCA$86k0
PRIDE ORTHOPAEDICS INCBrooklynNY$86k0
SRUTI THE INDIAN MUSIC & DANCE COMPANYAudubonPA$86k0
Coal Creek Miners Museum IncRocky TopTN$86k6
MINNESOTA ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERSAlexandriaMN$86k12
RESOUNDING ACHORD PRODUCTIONSSan JoseCA$86k0
THE OPTICAL HERITAGE MUSEUM INCSouthbridgeMA$86k0
Ballet22 IncOaklandCA$86k1
TWIN LAKES BAND BOOSTERSMonticelloIN$86k0
LIVING ROOM COLLECTIVEKansas CityMO$86k1
Santa Cruz County Youth SymphonySanta CruzCA$86k0
EISENHOWER INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC BOOSTERSWashington TwpMI$86k0
ITALIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE CLUB OF HUNTERDON COUNTY INCFlemingtonNJ$86k0
Central Stage Theatre of County KitsapSilverdaleWA$86k2
SPACESClevelandOH$86k2
HISPANIC COMMUNNITY CONNECTIONSalt Lake CityUT$86k1
SOUTH HAVEN SCOTT CLUBSouth HavenMI$86k0
WATSONVILLE CHARTER SCHOOL OF THE ARTS HOME AND SCHOOL CLUBWatsonvilleCA$86k0
DeTour Reef Light Preservation SocietyDrummond IslandMI$86k0
LAFOLLIA AUSTIN BAROQUEAustinTX$86k0
ANCHORAGE MUSHING DISTRICT INCAnchorageAK$86k0
Warfield Moose Cultural SocietyFort CollinsCO$86k0
SAN JUAN FILM INSTITUTEOurayCO$86k2
NORTHERN INDIANA BLUEGRASSFort WayneIN$86k0
CMC LEVERAGE LENDER INCSan FranciscoCA$86k1
GLENS FALLS OPERETTA CLUB INC DBA GLENS FALLS COMMUNITY THEATREGlens FallsNY$86k0
Rahma Islamic Center of Greater HoustonHoustonTX$86k0