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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 552 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
CHICAGO UNDERGROUND NFP CORPORATIONChicagoIL$84k2
CITIZENS INTERESTED IN ARTS INCAventuraFL$84k0
BLUE LEGACYPort OrchardWA$84k0
TONO FESTIVAL INCNew YorkNY$84k0
COLUMBIA BASIN BASKETRY GUILDPortlandOR$84k0
LITTLE DELAWARE YOUTH ENSEMBLE INCOneontaNY$84k0
SZKOLA POLSKA MICKIEWICZARochesterMI$84k4
CONNECTICUT LYRIC OPERA INCNew LondonCT$84k2
OAKWOOD BRASS - OUTREACH PROJECTPasadanaCA$84k1
ChamberQUEER IncBrooklynNY$84k3
OURAY COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS GUILD INCOurayCO$84k1
WILD HONEY FOUNDATIONLos AngelesCA$84k0
THE STUDIOCentrevilleAL$84k0
The Overtime TheaterSan AntonioTX$84k0
KINDING SINDAW HERITAGE FOUNDATION INCJackson HeightsNY$84k0
AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK OF KERN COUNTY INCBakersfieldCA$84k0
JAZZ OUTREACH INITIATIVELas VegasNV$84k1
TRAVELERS CHORAL CLUB INCHartfordCT$84k0
DAUPHIN ISLAND HERITAGE & ARTS COUNCIL INCDauphin IslandAL$84k0
ROCKINGHAM ENTERTAINMENT DEVELOPMENBellows FallsVT$84k0
THE HEART OF MUSIC FESTIVAL INCEast AuroraNY$84k0
WHODUNNIT INCLouisvilleKY$84k0
SAINT MARTHA CONCERTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS INCMiami ShoresFL$84k1
ROSENFIELD ART FOUNDATION OF TEXAS INCDallasTX$84k0
GRANADA MUSIC PARENTSLivermoreCA$84k0
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA CORPORATIONNew YorkNY$84k0
MUSIC & ARTS FOUNDATION IN AMERICARiversideCA$84k0
FRIENDS OF MAGNOLIA MOUND MUSEUM INCBaton RougeLA$84k0
OHIO FEDERATION OF MUSIC CLUBSAshlandOH$84k0
NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR THE MENTALLY ILL STANISLAUSModestoCA$84k1
WOMENS PHILHARMONIC ADVOCACYSanta RosaCA$84k0
ON LOCATION MEMPHIS INCMemphisTN$84k0
GOLDEN GATE BOYS CHOIRHaywardCA$84k1
CANANDAIGUA LAKE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL INCCanandaiguaNY$84k1
Mozart Youth CamerataBerkeleyCA$84k1
PIONEER FLIGHT MUSEUMKingsburyTX$84k0
Merrimack Valley Community Music School IncAndoverMA$84k0
ELLIS COUNTY CHILDRENS THEATREWaxahachieTX$84k0
NORTH ALLEGHENY DISTRICT BAND PATRONSWexfordPA$84k0
THE ARTS ARENA INTERNATIONAL INCNew YorkNY$84k0
REX BRASHER ASSOCIATION INCKentCT$84k0
PLAYMAKERS INCCovingtonLA$84k0
WILLAMETTE COMMUNITY & GRANGE HALL HISTORIC BLDGCorvallisOR$84k0
LYKE FOUNDATIONMontzLA$84k0
THE SCRAP GALLERYCathedral CityCA$84k0
HUNTVSILLE MADISON COUNTY ATHLETIC HALL OF FAMEHuntsvilleAL$84k0
GLOUCESTER CITY SAILGloucester CityNJ$84k0
HISTORIC OVIEDO COLORED SCHOOLS MUSOviedoFL$84k0
FEDERATION OF MID-SOUTH KOREAN ASSOCIATIONSAnthonyNM$84k0
THUMBNAIL THEATERSnohomishWA$84k0