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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 635 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN DELAWARE COUNTYMargaretvilleNY$58k0
HENRY COUNTY HERITAGE TRUST INCMount PleasantIA$58k0
LEVYDANCE INCLos AngelesCA$58k0
FUJIAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY A NJ NON-PROFIT CORPNew BrunswickNJ$58k0
IDAHO PINBALL MUSEUM INCBoiseID$58k0
Nite Lite TheatreTrentonTN$58k0
BRISTOL SPORTS HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM INCBristolCT$58k0
Pembroke Pines Theatre of the Performing Arts IncPembroke PinesFL$58k0
Riverside Productions IncPrestonID$58k0
HAMPTON ROADS JAZZ INCSuffolkVA$58k0
AMHERST MALE GLEE CLUB INC DBA Red Blazer Men's ChorusWilliamsvilleNY$58k4
AUDUBON COMMUNITY CINEMAAudubonIA$58k0
SUPER MUSEUMINC NFPMetropolisIL$58k0
ARTSVENTURAVenturaCA$58k0
OLD CITY CEMETERY COMMITTEE INCSacramentoCA$58k0
Keep St Pete Lit IncSaint PetersburgFL$58k1
NEW PALTZ BALLET THEATRE INCNew PaltzNY$58k0
CANFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETYCanfieldOH$58k0
Marshall Cultural CouncilMarshallMO$58k0
Cedar Valley Chamber Music IncWaterlooIA$58k1
A-SHARP CHORUSSan JoseCA$58k0
Casa de la Cultura IncTulsaOK$58k1
Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project IncClearwaterFL$58k0
LAGUNA BEACH ALLIANCE FOR THE ARTSLaguna BeachCA$58k0
NEW LENOX AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETYNew LenoxIL$58k0
BRIDGEMUSIK INCTappanNY$58k0
NOI FOUNDATION INCWashingtonMI$58k0
TREE FORT PRODUCTIONS PROJECTSSarasotaFL$58k0
Warren Heritage Society IncFront RoyalVA$58k0
Live Oak Singers IncSan AntonioTX$58k0
CENTRAL JERSEY CHAPTER APASomersetNJ$58k0
BIG WATER CREATIVE ARTSPetoskeyMI$58k2
Southern Heartland Arts IncSocial CircleGA$58k0
Winter Center for Indigenous TraditionsHanoverNH$58k0
The Narrow Gauge Preservation Foundation co Allen PollockJefferson CityMO$58k1
BURLINGTON BAROQUE FESTIVALBurlingtonVT$58k0
DIPLATANOS SOCIETY AGIA MARINA INCBrooklynNY$58k0
DAYTON FEIS INCFairbornOH$58k0
GREENVILLE FAMILY THEATERGreenvilleTX$58k0
Friends of The Historic Kingsburg DepotKingsburgCA$58k0
Chelsea Depot Association IncChelseaMI$58k0
THE EMMAUS INSTITUTE INCTewksburyMA$58k0
THE BAYSIDE HISTORY MUSEUM INCNorth BeachMD$58k0
AP DANCE FESTIVAL INCOcean GroveNJ$58k0
WAMPUM CONSULTING INCBrooklynNY$58k0
BURRELL TOWNSHIP LIBRARYBlack LickPA$58k0
WASHINGTON ORATORIO CHOIR INCGaithersburgMD$58k0
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY SHIPYARDEriePA$58k1
SUMMIT PLAYERS THEATREMilwaukeeWI$58k0
HISTORIC GERMANTOWN NASHVILLE INCNashvilleTN$58k0