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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 578 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
The Seacoast Artists Guild of South CarolinaMyrtle BeachSC$75k0
THE MIRACLE THEATER FOUNDATIONLos AngelesCA$75k0
SAN GABRIEL VALLEY MUSIC THEATRE INCSan GabrielCA$75k0
Trinayani USA INCPlainsboroNJ$75k0
HOLTON COMMUNITY THEATRE ASSOCIATIONHoltonKS$75k0
HERITAGE HOUSE OF ORANGE CNTY ASSNOrangeTX$75k0
WICKHAM WORKS INCWarwickNY$75k3
T E AND COMPANYEvanstonIL$75k0
PROSPECT FOUNDATION INCLouisvilleKY$75k0
CLANN NA CARA PARENT ORGANIZATION INCAkronNY$75k0
South Coast Dixieland Clambake IncNorth BendOR$75k0
HOME OF SLICED BREAD CORPORATIONChillicotheMO$75k2
HENNEPIN OVERLAND RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETYMinneapolisMN$75k0
WM A WALKER MEMORIAL TRUSTPenningtonNJ$75k1
KHMER KAMPUCHEA KROM BUDDIST ASSOCSan JoseCA$75k0
OFF-LEASH AREA CONTEMPORARY PERFORMMinneapolisMN$75k2
America FilmWashingtonDC$75k0
MUSE CINCINNATI WOMENS CHOIRCincinnatiOH$75k0
KMS DANCE COMPETITION BOOSTERS INCBataviaNY$75k0
WILDFLOWER COMPOSERSPhiladelphiaPA$75k2
WAKEFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETYWakefieldMI$75k0
WOMENSING ATTN PRESIDENTOrindaCA$75k1
AURORA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAAuroraCO$75k0
META PERFORMING ARTSMount VernonWA$75k2
STAGES BLOOMINGTON COMPANYBloomingtonIN$75k2
WHAT WILL THE NEIGHBORS SAYBrooklynNY$75k2
LONE TREE ARTS CENTER FUNDLone TreeCO$75k0
AFME FOUNDATIONAlbuquerqueNM$75k2
CAPE VERDEAN MUSEUM EXHIBITPawtucketRI$75k0
Hermann Farm Musuem IncHermannMO$75k0
Florida Woodturning Symposium IncOcalaFL$75k0
THE THAI ASSOCIATION OF SAN DIEGO COUNTYSan DiegoCA$75k0
THE ROBERT RUSSA MOTON MUSEUM INCFarmvilleVA$75k0
Memphis ChoralartsMemphisTN$75k7
BLACK CREEK WILDLIFE CENTERHartsvilleSC$75k0
ITALIAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF CLEVELAND INCClevelandOH$75k0
Battlefield High School PTOHaymarketVA$75k0
AMVETS POST 39 COMMUNITY CHARITIESLakeviewOH$75k0
Anchor Press Paper and Print IncMilwaukeeWI$75k0
Northeast Band and Orchestra Parent OrganizationBethlehemPA$75k0
PACIFIC SINGERS & ACTORS WORKSHOPSan FranciscoCA$75k2
WEST LIBERTY HERITAGE FOUNDATIONWest LibertyIA$75k0
ROOSEVELT ISLAND VISUAL ART ASSOCIATIONRoosevelt IslandNY$75k0
North Star Boys Choir of MinnesotaMaple GroveMN$75k1
CHEYENNE ELDERS COUNCIL INCCalumetOK$75k0
MEMPHIS CULTURAL ARTS ENRICHMENT CENTERColliervilleTN$75k1
NORTHSIDE CULTURAL COLLABORATIVE INCPittsburghPA$75k0
STONE OWL INSTITUTE INCAbileneTX$75k1
UNCAPTURED INCWashingtonDC$75k0
GRAND VALLEY PIANO CHAMBER SERIESGrand RapidsMI$75k1