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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 636 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
HUMBOLDT FOLKLIFE SOCIETYArcataCA$58k2
NOR EL MUK BAND OF WINTU INDIANS OF NORTHERN CAWeavervilleCA$58k0
THE PERRY HISTORIANSNewportPA$58k0
THE SANCTUARY MUSEUM INCLakewoodOH$58k0
IRISH AMERICAN ARCHIVES SOCIETYClevelandOH$58k1
Rancho Buena Vista Drama BoostersEncinitasCA$58k0
GETTYSBURG CHAMBER ORCHESTRA INCGettysburgPA$58k0
CAMBRIDGE CARNIVAL INTERNATIONALCambridgeMA$58k0
DAVIS SCULPTURE FOUNDATION C/O CARL P EINSTEIN CPA LLCBeachwoodOH$58k1
POLKA LOVERS CLUB OF TX MUSEUMHoustonTX$58k0
CUMBERLAND COUNTY COMMUNITY BANDCrossvilleTN$58k0
PIEDMONT FOLK LEGACIES INCEdenNC$58k0
INTERNATIONAL DAYS INCRock SpringsWY$58k0
EDISTO ART GUILD INCEdisto IslandSC$58k0
BAKKEN ENSEMBLEMinneapolisMN$58k3
ARTSPOWER INCCedar GroveNJ$58k0
LAKEWOOD HISTORICAL SOCIETYLakewoodWA$58k0
Motion State ArtsProvidenceRI$58k3
RILEY ARTS FOUNDATIONPasadenaCA$58k0
TRINITY COMMUNICATION GROUP INCFort WayneIN$58k1
LEXINGTON WRITERS ROOMLexingtonKY$58k0
VILLAGE POTTERS GUILD INCPlymouthMI$58k0
DETROIT SPORTS MEDIAYpsilantiMI$58k0
HAZELMADE ART STUDIO INCAppletonWI$58k0
KITTY HENSLEY HOUSEFairbanksAK$58k1
SWEET ADELINES INTERNATIONAL JERSEY SOUND CHORUSMarltonNJ$58k0
DELTA CHILDRENS BALLET THEATREPittsburgCA$58k0
COMPANY DMemphisTN$58k1
MUSIC FOR HUMANITYChesterNY$58k0
JAMES BAKER HALL FOUNDATION INCSadievilleKY$58k0
ILLINOIS AVIATION MUSEUM AT BOLINGBROOKBolingbrookIL$58k0
MONTANA PERFORMING ARTS CONSORTIUM INCGreat FallsMT$58k1
ACES MUSEUMPhiladelphiaPA$58k1
STOCKDALE MILL FOUNDATION INCDenverIN$58k0
LOS ALAMOS LITTLE THEATRE INCLos AlamosNM$58k0
THE LEXINGTON CHAMBER MUSIC CENTER INCWest NewburyMA$58k0
MASS GALLERY INCAustinTX$58k0
MONTELICAN PUBLISHING INCMontclairNJ$58k0
VIETNAMESE LITERARY AND ARTISTIC CLUB OF THE WASHINGTON METRO AREAMcLeanVA$58k0
BLOOMINGTON CHORALE INCBloomingtonMN$58k1
APPALACHIAN TRADITIONS INCNortonVA$58k0
Peach State Feis IncSuwaneeGA$58k0
LAKE COUNTY THEATRE COMPANYLakeportCA$58k0
Compiler Media IncWashingtonDC$58k1
CREATIVE MINDS CAREStudio CityCA$58k0
SAGADAHOC PRESERVATION INCBathME$58k0
STEEL PLANT MUSEUM INCBuffaloNY$58k1
FOOTHILLS PHILHARMONICGreenvilleSC$58k0
HEDGEPIG ENSEMBLE THEATRE INCBrooklynNY$58k5
RURAL RETREAT DEPOT FOUNDATION INCRural RetreatVA$58k0