Skip to main content
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 569 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Footlight PlayersMichigan CityIN$78k0
HISTORIC RENO PRESERVATION SOCIETYRenoNV$78k0
MALAYA FILIPINO AMERICAN DANCE ARTSLos AngelesCA$78k0
TAMIL MAKKAL MANDRAM INCNashuaNH$78k0
BEAUTIFY EARTH CORPORATIONLos AngelesCA$78k1
KAMMERMUSIK WORKSHOPS INCBethlehemPA$78k0
INMAN THEATRE INCInmanSC$78k0
SPRIESTERSBACH FARM CORPORATIONIndianapolisIN$78k0
WBAC BOYLSTON ACCESS CHANNEL INCBoylstonMA$78k0
Sweet Adelines International Harborlites ChapterIrvineCA$78k1
BACKSTAGE AND PERFORMING ARTISTS CONewport BeachCA$78k0
MAIN STREET PERRYVILLEPerryvilleKY$78k0
Fort Worth Classic Guitar SocietyFort WorthTX$78k1
Arizona Bluegrass AssociationMesaAZ$78k0
HANOVER ARTS AND ACTIVITIES CENTER INCAshlandVA$78k0
Colorado Springs Symphonic GuildColorado SpringsCO$78k0
See A Need-Meet A NeedHoustonTX$78k0
The Healdsburg Community ChorusHealdsburgCA$78k0
CASINO THEATRE RESTORATION & MGT INCVandergriftPA$78k0
SELAH THEATRE PROJECT INCWinchesterVA$78k2
SERENATA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA INCBoiseID$78k0
HENDERSON SAUERKRAUT DAYS AND COMMUNITY EVENTS ORGANIZATIONHendersonMN$78k0
Bainbridge Ballet Performance GroupBainbridge IslandWA$78k0
FESTIVAL MUSIC SOCIETY INCIndianapolisIN$78k2
VOICE OF DIVERSITYCave SpringsAR$78k0
EPOCH TIMES TIENG VIETEl MonteCA$78k0
CALLIOPE EAST BAY MUSIC & ARTSAlbanyCA$78k1
FEDERATION OF HELLENIC AMERICAN SOCIETIES OF NEW ENGLAND INCBostonMA$78k0
UMOJA MAGAZINE - MADISON INCMadisonWI$78k0
DREHER HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA BOOSTER CLUBColumbiaSC$78k0
Hart Regional Arts Council IncHartwellGA$78k0
Astoria Uppertown Business AssociationAstoriaOR$78k1
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONCarlislePA$78k4
MESSENGER MEDIA INCTampaFL$78k2
TULARE JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT FOUNDATIONTulareCA$78k0
Schoharie Colonial Heritage AssociationSchoharieNY$78k0
EGG & SPOON THEATRE COLLECTIVE INCNew YorkNY$78k1
SOUTHWEST HERITAGE INC DBA NAPLES DEPOTNaplesFL$78k0
THE WORKERS COMPENSATION FORUM OFCarlsbadCA$78k0
DELAWARE CURRENTS INCPort JervisNY$78k0
Ballet Education and Scholarship IncSaint JamesNY$78k1
STUDIO CULTURESan DiegoCA$78k0
SOUTH MOUNTAIN THEATERWORKS INCMendhamNJ$78k0
LEGION SIX HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONChinoCA$78k0
THE INCORPORATED LONG ISLAND CHAPTER OF THE NY STATE ARCHAEOLOGISoutholdNY$78k0
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SWORDPLAY GUILDEnglewoodCO$78k0
Dutchess County Gaelic Athletic Association INCPoughquagNY$78k0
SEATTLE SERIESShorelineWA$78k0
NDI IGBO IN WISCONSIN INCMilwaukeeWI$78k0
HISTORIC WASHINGTON FOUNDATIONWashingtonAR$78k0