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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 59 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE INCMemphisTN$2.7M1
MONTAUK HISTORICAL SOCIETYMontaukNY$2.7M1
Northwest Indiana Public Broadcasting IncMerrillvilleIN$2.6M1
MIDWEST POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATIONBloomingtonIN$2.6M6
Americans for the Arts IncWashingtonDC$2.6M8
INSIDEOUT LITERARY ARTS PROJECTDetroitMI$2.6M1
HEARTLAND FILM INCIndianapolisIN$2.6M1
BOISE PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION INCBoiseID$2.6M2
Catamount Film & Arts CompanySaint JohnsburyVT$2.6M1
PHOENIX FALUN DAFA ASSOCIATION INCMesaAZ$2.6M0
LAKEWOOD THEATRE COMPANYLake OswegoOR$2.6M1
PRATT FINE ARTS CENTERSeattleWA$2.6M1
GET LIT - WORDS IGNITE INCLos AngelesCA$2.6M2
AS 220ProvidenceRI$2.6M2
THE COUSE FOUNDATIONTaosNM$2.6M0
BAY AREA CULTURAL CONNECTIONSSanta ClaraCA$2.6M3
ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUMAnchorageAK$2.6M2
BOYLE HEIGHTS ARTS CONSERVATORY CO RAMPART PROPERTY MANAGEMENT INCLos AngelesCA$2.6M0
The Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic TempleScrantonPA$2.6M0
Coffee Quality Institute formerly Specialty Coffee InstituteAliso ViejoCA$2.6M2
RAUE CENTER FOR THE ARTSCrystal LakeIL$2.6M1
SKYLANDS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INCNewtonNJ$2.6M2
NASHVILLE ACADEMY THEATRE AND NASHVILLE CHILDREN'S THEATRE ASSOCNashvilleTN$2.6M1
THE VENICE SYMPHONY INCVeniceFL$2.6M1
THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INCWest HartfordCT$2.6M0
MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART INCWest BendWI$2.6M1
VIDIOTS FOUNDATIONLos AngelesCA$2.6M1
WOMENCONNECT4GOOD INCSpringfieldMO$2.6M0
INDIANA STATE MUSEUM FOUNDATION INCIndianapolisIN$2.6M1
SANGRE DE CRISTO ARTS & CONFERENCE CENTER INCPuebloCO$2.6M0
HAWAII UNITED OKINAWA ASSOCIATIONWaipahuHI$2.6M1
MADISON OPERA INCMadisonWI$2.6M1
PELLA HISTORICAL SOCIETYPellaIA$2.6M0
THE PEWABIC SOCIETY INCDetroitMI$2.6M2
CARMEL CHRISTKINDLMARKT INCCarmelIN$2.6M1
ORCHESTRA IOWA INCCedar RapidsIA$2.6M2
Primary Stages Company IncNew YorkNY$2.6M3
The ArkAnn ArborMI$2.6M2
LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUMINCBaton RougeLA$2.6M1
BLOOMINGDALE SCHOOL OF MUSICNew YorkNY$2.6M2
NEW YORK COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIESNew YorkNY$2.6M3
MAINE HUMANITIES COUNCILPortlandME$2.6M1
NATIONAL SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATIONMinneapolisMN$2.6M1
Indianapolis Children's ChoirIndianapolisIN$2.6M0
THE NEW MUSEUM AT THE BRADFORD BRINTON RANCHBig HornWY$2.6M2
BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL INCCambridgeMA$2.6M1
JEAN APPOLON EXPRESSIONSMaldenMA$2.6M2
HAWAII OPERA THEATREHonoluluHI$2.6M1
AIRCRAFT CARRIER HORNET FOUNDATIONAlamedaCA$2.6M2
The Pilgrim SocietyPlymouthMA$2.6M0