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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 632 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
WESTSIDE YOUTH ORCHESTRACulver CityCA$59k1
SOCIETY OF INDIANA PIONEERS INCIndianapolisIN$59k0
The Oviedo Preservation Project IncOviedoFL$59k0
AMHERST GLEBE ARTS RESPONSE INCAmherstVA$59k0
Corryville Suzuki ProjectCincinnatiOH$59k2
FRIENDS OF THE ORANGE DEPOTHoustonTX$59k0
SWEET GRASS COUNTY MUSEUM SOCIETYBig TimberMT$59k1
FINE ARTS AND CULTURAL EVENTS OF MAOskaloosaIA$59k0
WARMHEARTED ACADEMYSugar LandTX$59k0
FRIENDS OF WELLESLEY VETERANS INCWellesleyMA$59k0
AUSTIN HARTEL DANCE COMPANYNormanOK$59k0
Hillsborough Community MediaHillsboorughNC$59k0
North American Meitheal FundSaint LouisMO$59k0
MIDSUMMER ARTS FAIRE NFPQuincyIL$59k0
MONASTERE SAINT-BENOIT FOUNDATION USA INCDallasTX$59k0
DANVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRADanvilleVA$59k0
OREGON COAST YOUTH SYMPHONY FESTIVAL ASSOCIATIONNewportOR$59k1
Vision Historic Preservation FoundaRockdaleTX$59k1
Back Bay Ringers IncBostonMA$59k0
THOMAS JEFFERSON BAND PATRONS INCJefferson HillsPA$59k0
SAVANT HOUSE DBA K17 MUSICValley VillageCA$59k0
PHILIPPINE COMMUNITY OF SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY INCStratfordNJ$59k0
BET-NAHRAIN INCModestoCA$59k0
WILMA DYKEMAN LEGACY INCWeavervilleNC$59k1
SOUTHERN ARC DANCE THEATER INCNewnanGA$59k0
HISTORY AND MUSEUMS AT CARNATION FARMSIncline VillageNV$59k0
ARTS WITHOUT BORDERSSolonOH$59k0
CENTER THEATRE PLAYERS INCRochesterPA$59k0
AIM-ARTS IN MCNAIRYSelmerTN$59k1
OHIO AGRIBUSINESS ASSOCIATION EDUCATIONAL TRUSTColumbusOH$59k0
PALISADES CHORAL BOOSTER CLUBCharlotteNC$59k0
WAYNESVILLE AREA HERITAGE AND CULTURAL CENTERWaynesvilleOH$59k0
Keu The BrandHonoluluHI$59k0
BELLADONNA SERIES INCBrooklynNY$59k0
Corry Rail and Industrial Legacy SocietyCorryPA$59k0
LITTLE BIG MAN LEARNS INCLos AngelesCA$59k0
ROYAL CITY COLLABORATION CORPCharlotteNC$59k2
HOLLYWOOD MUSIC WORKSHOP USARedondo BeachCA$59k0
THE AMERICAN CUT GLASS ASSOCIATION INCFarmingtonMO$59k0
ROC THE BLOCK INCRiverviewFL$59k0
Legacy Theater and Music CompanyStallingsNC$59k0
THE FRIENDS OF THE BUTTE ARCHIVESButteMT$59k0
STATE THEATER FOUNDATION INCCentral CityNE$59k0
DELAWARE SEASIDE RAILROAD CLUB INCOcean ViewDE$59k0
SCHUHPLATTLER GEBIRGSTRACHTEN VEREIN EDELWEISS INCWest SenecaNY$59k0
BOWIE COMMUNITY THEATREBowieMD$59k0
BLACK EAGLE SANCTUARY INCImperial BeachCA$59k0
Brattleboro Womens Chorus IncBrattleboroVT$59k1
KANSAS CITY PUBLIC THEATREKansas CityMO$59k1
THE CAT CAY RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION FOUNDATION INCFt LauderdaleFL$59k0