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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 612 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
DANCE WEST VIRGINIA INCMorgantownWV$65k0
Speak Life FoundationHot SpringsAR$65k0
Peninsula Hands On Art IncGig HarborWA$65k0
WEST LIBERTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYWest LibertyOH$65k0
EL BATEY INCBuffaloNY$65k0
Clear Creek Country TheatreHoustonTX$65k0
LIBERTYME FOUNDATIONVillanovaPA$65k0
PHELPS MILL COUNTRYBattle LakeMN$65k0
Jester Auto MuseumAstoriaOR$65k0
DREHER HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTER CLUB INCColumbiaSC$65k0
MARTIN MUSICALWeatherfordTX$65k0
WISCONSIN ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT FINANCIAL AID ADMINISTRATORSGraftonWI$65k0
REMEMBERING AMERICA'S HEROESCanbyOR$65k1
THE DURHAM SAVOYARDS LTDDurhamNC$65k2
Mooresville Community Childrens TheatreMooresvilleNC$65k0
PHOENIX CHALLENGE FOUNDATION INCWaxhawNC$65k0
Sacramento Institute for Music and the ArtsSacramentoCA$65k1
CENTER FOR THE FORCE MAJEURE FOUNDATIONSanta CruzCA$65k1
CHATTAHOCHEE MAIN STREETChattahoocheeFL$65k0
Seymour Apple Festival IncSeymourMO$65k0
Robert G Boehmler Community Foundation IncPittsfordNY$65k4
RESTON CHAMBER ORCHESTRA TRUSTRestonVA$65k3
SYZYGY DANCE PROJECTSausalitoCA$65k1
THE ACTORS MISSION INCRock SpringsWY$65k0
CHINESE ARTS AND MUSIC ASSOCIATIONBellevueWA$65k0
JAMESON SINGERS INCArlingtonMA$65k1
WHIDBEY ISLAND MUSIC PORTALFreelandWA$65k0
THE BAR PLAN FOUNDATIONSt LouisMO$65k6
THE MASTERWORKS CHORUS OF THE PALM BEACHES INCPalm BeachFL$65k0
AMERICAN COMPANY OF IRISH DANCEMilwaukeeWI$65k0
The Lamar Stringfield Music InstituRaleighNC$65k0
KOREAN MUSIC ASSOCIATIONBellevueWA$65k4
ST IGNATIUS SENIOR CENTERSaint IgnatiusMT$65k0
ZAMORANO CLUBPasadenaCA$65k0
MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN CULTURESan FranciscoCA$65k0
Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic PsychologySan RafaelCA$65k0
FALLEN ANGELS INCSun ValleyCA$65k0
PALADIN CONSERVANCY INCBigforkMT$65k0
New Hampshire Teachers of MathematicsEppingNH$65k0
ADAM STANTON HOUSE INCORPORATEDClintonCT$65k0
IVES STRING QUARTET INC DBA IVES COLLECTIVEPalo AltoCA$65k0
HAWAII BALLROOM DANCE ASSOCIATIONAieaHI$65k0
AIKOTAAN SOCAL ASSOCIATIONRancho Santa MargaritaCA$65k0
CLEMENTINA ARTS FOUNDATION INCReddingCT$65k0
LITTLE LUMPYS CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVESClevelandOH$65k1
NOVELTEASE THEATRESeattleWA$65k0
PANSY AND PEARL CHARITIESFriscoTX$65k0
Frogtown Tuned-In IncSt PaulMN$65k0
BYFIELD COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER INCByfieldMA$65k0
ARTS AT BLUE ROOF INCLos AngelesCA$65k0