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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 603 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
SHELBURNE HISTORICAL SOCIETYShelburne FallsMA$68k0
WEST COAST JEWISH THEATREBeverly HillsCA$68k0
ROYAL POINCIANA CHAPEL MUSIC TRUSTPalm BeachFL$68k0
Katzenjammer FoundationCommackNY$68k0
Embracing ExplorationsWaterlooIA$68k0
QUEER SPECTRA ARTS FESTIVALSalt Lake CityUT$68k2
Harper Hill Global IncNashvilleTN$68k1
Calistoga Theater CompanyCalistogaCA$68k0
THEATRE WEST OF LINCOLN CITY LTDLincoln CityOR$68k0
INTER-AMERICAN CHOREOGRAPHIC INSTITUTEMiami BeachFL$68k0
SEATTLE WIND SYMPHONYMill CreekWA$68k0
LEWISBURG NEIGHBORHOODS CORPORATIONLewisburgPA$68k0
FARIBAULT COMMUNITY TELEVISION TROY TEMPLEFaribaultMN$68k1
TEXAS LIONS MUSEUM AND OFFICE FOUNDATION INCKerrvilleTX$68k0
JONATHAN & BARBARA SILVER FOUNDATION INCBrooklynNY$68k0
WWAAC Alliance Foundation IncJasperGA$68k0
ISING COMMUNITY CHOIRBeavertonOR$68k0
SOUTH AMBOY NEW JERSEY PARADE COMMITTEE A NJ NONPROFITSouth AmboyNJ$68k0
FORT LORAMIE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONFort LoramieOH$68k0
SOUTH COAST SINGERSCapistrano BeachCA$68k0
SOUTH FLORIDA LEUVA PATIDAR SAMAJ INCPlantationFL$68k0
BONSAI FOUNDATION OF THE CENTRAL VALLEYFresnoCA$68k0
TEXAS CHILDRENS MUSEUMRio VistaTX$68k0
WEST HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INCWest HartfordCT$68k0
LOVE ALWAYS MINISTRIESGoletaCA$68k0
FORGOTTEN FUTURES FUND INCBrooklynNY$68k0
PRINTAUSTIN COLLECTIVEAustinTX$68k1
CLEBURNE FRIENDS OF THE CULTURAL ARTSCleburneTX$68k0
COLORADO ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVALGoldenCO$68k2
FRESNO COMMUNITY CONCERT BANDFresnoCA$68k0
INDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY ALLIANCE CORPEdisonNJ$68k0
APPALACHIAN FIDDLE & BLUE GRASS ASSOCIATIONWind GapPA$68k0
NIGHTINGALE VOCAL ENSEMBLE INCORPORATEDDorchesterMA$68k1
Historical Preservation Foundation of The Native Sons of The Golden WestAuburnCA$68k0
TEKHNE COLLECTIVEDallasTX$68k1
PRAIRIE PLAYERS CIVIC THEATREGalesburgIL$68k0
COOPERSTOWN CONCERT SERIES INCCooperstownNY$68k0
Create Reel ChangeSalt Lake CityUT$68k0
THE CREATIVES PROJECT INCAtlantaGA$68k0
New England Visionary Artists Museum IncNorthamptonMA$68k0
THE ELDERS CHOIR OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIATujungaCA$68k0
OROMO DIASPORA MEDIAMinneapolisMN$68k2
CALIFORNIA PRESENTERSPetalumaCA$68k0
SMOKY VALLEY ARTS AND FOLKLIFE CENTER ASSOCIATIONLindsborgKS$68k0
Dogtown Artists UnitedInglewoodCA$68k0
JEFFERSON DEPOT INC JEFFERSON DEPOT VILLAGEJeffersonOH$68k0
HARRISON HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC BOOSTERS INCEvansvilleIN$68k0
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA SCULPTURE CENTER INCLenoirNC$68k0
MAKE ART WITH PURPOSE INCORPORATEDDallasTX$68k1
SUPPORTERS OF LWSD COMPANYRoanokeVA$68k0