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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 563 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY PHILHARMONIC- POPS ORCHESTRA INCCalabasasCA$80k0
GRIFFIN CHORAL ARTS INCGriffinGA$80k0
CHINESE ARTS ALLIANCE OF NASHVILLENashvilleTN$80k1
RB KITAJ STUDIO PROJECTTarzanaCA$80k1
Opera HuntsvilleHuntsvilleAL$80k0
EMERALD ELITE BOOSTER ASSOCIATIONFriscoTX$80k0
Hollywood Arab Film FestivalGarden GroveCA$80k0
Rawkstars IncEast TauntonMA$80k0
HISTORIC WAREHOUSE DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF CLEVELANDClevelandOH$80k0
Nevada State Prison Preservation SocietyCarson CityNV$80k0
THIRD WAY CULTURAL ALLIANCE INCDelansonNY$80k3
BERNICE AND DAVID E DAVIS ART FDN C/O CARL P EINSTEIN CPA LLCBeachwoodOH$80k0
LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL MULTIPLE DISTRICT 5AberdeenSD$80k0
THE FACTORY THEATER COMPANYChicagoIL$80k0
PRINCE STREET ARTISTS INCNew YorkNY$80k0
Lehigh & Keystone Valley Model Railroad Museum IncBethlehemPA$80k0
OREGON ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS FOUNDATIONPortlandOR$80k0
QBOXSan FranciscoCA$80k1
THE EVENTS CENTER AT FAIRVIEW PARK INCCamdenAR$80k0
NORFOLK FOUNDATION INCSherbornMA$80k0
MICAH 68 FOUNDATIONCrozetVA$80k0
THE HUGUENOT SOCIETY OF THE FOUNDERS OF MANAKIN IN THE COLONY OF VAMidlothianVA$80k0
Mount St Helens Creation CenterCastle RockWA$80k1
STAGE NOTESWatertownNY$80k1
TUSCARORA HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC BOOSTERS INCFrederickMD$80k0
ILYA AND EMILIA KABAKOV ART FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$80k0
GLOBAL GIRL MEDIACulver CityCA$80k0
RAICES CULTURAL CENTER A NJ NONPROFIT CORPORATIONHighland ParkNJ$80k2
Dancer's Legacy FoundationGreat FallsVA$80k0
HISTORIC GORDONSVILLE INCGordonsvilleVA$80k1
THE RHODES JEWISH HISTORICAL FOUNDALos AngelesCA$80k0
DREAMS V REALITYOmahaNE$80k1
PALMDALE COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONPalmdaleCA$80k6
MUNICIPAL SPECIAL EVENTS ASSOCIATION INCSavannahGA$80k0
Memphis Brooks Museum Decorative Arts Trust IncMemphisTN$80k0
WEST VIRGINIA READING ASSOCIATIONPoint PleasantWV$80k0
UP NORTH ARTS INCCadillacMI$80k0
ARCHE ATARAXIA INCPleasant HillCA$80k0
GIANT STEP ARTS LTD C/O KIRKILES & KOTIADIS LLPNew YorkNY$80k0
HABELE SOUTH SEAS INSTITUTEColumbiaSC$80k1
JOURNAL OF FREE SPEECH LAWStanfordCA$80k0
Junkyard ATXAustinTX$80k1
Strive to Prosper FoundationNorthridgeCA$80k0
AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVEDurhamNC$80k0
THE LITTLE THEATRE OF BEDFORD INCBedfordIN$80k0
EW OGLEBAY MEMORIAL FUND C/O SECURITY NATIONAL TRUST COMPANYWheelingWV$80k0
SCHOOL FOR STRINGS OF ST CLAIR COUNTYPort HuronMI$80k1
Women Writing the WestDurangoCO$80k0
Petersburg Symphony Orchestra IncPetersburgVA$80k2
MAROON BELLES INC C/O BRIAN ARBUCKLEGlenwood SpringsCO$80k0