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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 57 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
MATERIAL INSTITUTENew OrleansLA$2.8M1
NEWARK MIDLAND THEATRE ASSOCIATIONNewarkOH$2.8M2
ALBANY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INCAlbanyNY$2.8M1
MOSIER COMMUNITY SCHOOL FOUNDATION INCORPORATEDMosierOR$2.8M2
CASTLE PRESERVATION SOCIETYMoultonboroughNH$2.8M1
SkyArt NFPChicagoIL$2.8M3
AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETYNew YorkNY$2.8M3
Bold ImpactWoodbridgeVA$2.8M1
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM FOUNDATIONColumbiaSC$2.8M0
OTIS REDDING FOUNDATION INCMaconGA$2.8M0
Aviation Hall of FameDaytonOH$2.8M1
MIJENTE SUPPORT COMMITTEEPhoenixAZ$2.8M0
Imagine ArtAustinTX$2.8M3
SHENANDOAH APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL INCORPORATEDWinchesterVA$2.8M0
THE CIRCUS BARN INCGreensboroVT$2.8M1
AUSTIN CREATIVE ALLIANCEAustinTX$2.8M1
GEORGIA TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION INCAtlantaGA$2.7M2
FAIRBANKS MUSEUM & PLANETARIUMSt JohnsburyVT$2.7M1
MATTATUCK HISTORICAL SOCIETYWaterburyCT$2.7M1
SANDY ARTS GUILDSandyUT$2.7M0
KANSAS CITY MUSEUM FOUNDATION INCKansas CityMO$2.7M1
Ocean Professional Theatre Company IncBeach HavenNJ$2.7M3
DISTRICT BRIDGESWashingtonDC$2.7M2
THE HIPPODROME-COLONY HISTORICAL THEATRE ASSOCIATIONMariettaOH$2.7M0
OPERA CAROLINACharlotteNC$2.7M1
RIVERPARK CENTER INCOwensboroKY$2.7M0
THE FORUM ON EDUCATION ABROADCarlislePA$2.7M2
Association for Community Education Inc DBA Radio Nueva VidaCamarilloCA$2.7M5
PRINTED MATTER INCNew YorkNY$2.7M2
ST LOUIS SHAKESPEARE FESTIVALSt LouisMO$2.7M1
CREATIVE ARKANSAS COMMUNITY HUB & EXCHANGE INCSpringdaleAR$2.7M3
BOULDER MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ARTBoulderCO$2.7M2
Chicago International Puppet Theater FestivalChicagoIL$2.7M2
STABAT MATER FOUNDATIONDallasTX$2.7M0
STOREFRONT FOR ART AND ARCHITECTURE INCNew YorkNY$2.7M2
Cultura y Arte Nativa De Las AmericasSan FranciscoCA$2.7M1
UNITED STATES CAPITOL HISTORICAL SOCIETYWashingtonDC$2.7M1
JAMES I FREEMAN CHARITABLE TRUSTTexarkanaAR$2.7M0
THE PUTNAM FOUNDATION DBA TIMKEN MUSEUM OF ARTSan DiegoCA$2.7M3
GRANDIFLORA FOUNDATIONKnoxvilleTN$2.7M0
CHICAGO YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRASChicagoIL$2.7M1
ACT OF CONNECTICUTRidgefieldCT$2.7M3
JEWISH EDUCATION IN MEDIA INC DBA JBS JEWISH BROADCASTING SERVICEStamfordCT$2.7M3
ALBUQUERQUE MUSEUM FOUNDATION INCORPORATEDAlbuquerqueNM$2.7M2
CONNECTICUT ALLIANCE OF FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE FAMILIES INCRocky HillCT$2.7M1
THE DURHAM ARTS COUNCIL INCDurhamNC$2.7M1
THE STUDIOS OF KEY WESTKey WestFL$2.7M2
THE OCEAN COMMUNITY UNITED THEATRE INCWesterlyRI$2.7M2
AGRICULTURE HERITAGE MUSEUM INCLubbockTX$2.7M1
LEHMAN COLLEGE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INCBronxNY$2.7M5