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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 559 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
GREATER MIAMI FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION INCNorth MiamiFL$82k2
FLYING STARLINGS INCNorth DartmouthMA$82k1
PLANO METROPOLITAN BALLET INCPlanoTX$82k1
CHILDRENS AIDS ART PROGRAMMESausalitoCA$82k1
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETYBostonMA$82k0
FOLKSTREAMS INCDelaplaneVA$82k0
SPARK CREATIVE LAB INCOklahoma CityOK$82k0
NICHOLAS STOLTZFUS HOUSE PRESERVATION COMMITTEEWyomissingPA$82k0
Dadeville Performing Arts CenterDadevilleAL$82k0
YEE YING TONGWestminsterCA$82k0
JOHNSTOWN CONCERT BALLETJohnstownPA$82k0
AthentikosSpring HillTN$82k0
Hidden VoicesCedar GroveNC$82k2
COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL OF BLOUNT COUNTYOneontaAL$82k0
GARDEN GROVE HISTORICAL SOCIETYGarden GroveCA$82k0
NIEF-NORFKnoxvilleTN$82k2
SUROMURCHHANA INCLong Island CityNY$82k0
PIERRE CLAEYSSENS VETERANS FOUNDATIONSanta BarbaraCA$82k2
617PEAK CORPORATIONWest RoxburyMA$82k0
THREE GIRLS THEATRE COMPANY INCSan FranciscoCA$82k1
KYOUNGS PACIFIC BEAT INCBrooklynNY$82k2
BRIAN & CAROLYN CLEMENT FAMILY FOUNDATIONCumberland ForesideME$82k0
PACIFIC NORTHWEST RAILROAD ARCHIVEBurienWA$82k1
MASTER CHORUS EASTSIDEIssaquahWA$82k4
Perry Cty Lutheran Historical SocietyAltenburgMO$82k0
INTERNATIONAL GALLERY OF CONTEMPORARY ARTAnchorageAK$82k0
THE GARDNER MUSEUM INCGardnerMA$82k0
THE DALE WASSERMAN FOUNDATIONParadise ValleyAZ$82k0
SEATTLE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETYSeattleWA$82k0
EQUITY PROJECT ALLIANCE INCGulf BreezeFL$82k0
WILLOUGHBY SOUTH INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC BOOSTERSWilloughbyOH$82k0
BANGLADESHI AMERICAN SOCIAL & CULTURAL ORG WNY INCBuffaloNY$82k0
Buckhorn Public Arts IncAspenCO$82k0
Historical Association of PrincevillePrincevilleIL$82k1
FRIENDS OF SUMMIT PUBLIC ART INC C/O CITY OF SUMMITSummitNJ$82k0
TEKREMA CENTER FOR ART AND CULTURENew OrleansLA$82k1
Northwest Architectural LeagueSeattleWA$82k0
Pure Creative Arts IncMamaroneckNY$82k1
BENTONVILLE HIGHSCHOOL CHOIR BOOSTERS INCBentonvilleAR$82k0
FRONT ROW PLAYERSManliusNY$81k1
STRING QUARTET SOCIETY OF TUSCALOOSA INCTuscaloosaAL$81k0
Minnesota Hard Bop CollectiveSaint PaulMN$81k14
Roxbury Historic Trust IncLedgewoodNJ$81k0
FEARLESS FEATURES INCFort WayneIN$81k0
PENINSULA YOUTH ORCHESTRAGig HarborWA$81k1
SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVALAnacortesWA$81k0
NORTH BAY AIR MUSEUMSonomaCA$81k0
MEMORIAL DAY FLOWERS FOUNDATIONFallbrookCA$81k0
WASATCH & DISTRICT PIPE BANDBountifulUT$81k0
ART HAVENPaysonUT$81k2