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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 639 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
MCCLATCHY MUSIC BOOSTERS CLUB MCCLATCHY BAND BOOSTERSSacramentoCA$57k0
Hawkeye Community TheatreFort DodgeIA$57k0
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE DAR HOLLYWOOD DARLos AngelesCA$57k0
BLAIR COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY INCHollidaysburgPA$57k0
STARBUCK DEPOT SOCIETY INCStarbuckMN$57k0
AMPLIFYDurangoCO$57k0
BACKALLEY COMMUNITY THEATREGrand CaneLA$57k0
LIGHTHOUSE MINISTRIES CHILDRENS VILLAGEAndoverMN$57k0
OPERA GUILD OF ROCHESTER INCPittsfordNY$57k0
NY KATHAK FESTIVALFlushingNY$57k0
TOY TRAIN DEPOT INCAlamogordoNM$57k0
NEW VOICES OF COLORADOArvadaCO$57k0
WILLAMETTE INFORMATION NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT SERVICESalemOR$57k0
Around Hear IncSomervilleMA$57k2
NEXT GALLERY INCLakewoodCO$57k0
LAKE VERMILION CULTURAL CENTERTowerMN$57k0
Jubal A Early Preservation TrustRoanokeVA$57k0
ARGUS MUSEUMAnn ArborMI$57k0
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA MILITARY MUSEUM & LIBRARY INCFort MyersFL$57k1
COMMUNITY PLAYERSWestfieldNJ$57k0
NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY THEATERNew BernNC$57k0
HUNTINGTON MENS CHORUS INCHuntingtonNY$57k0
LOCAL SOUND COLLABORATIVE INCRochesterNY$57k0
BERKELEY CHAMBER PERFORMANCESBerkeleyCA$57k0
NORTHWEST NATIVE AMERICAN BASKETWEAVERS ASSNBlack DiamondWA$57k1
SAVE THE SHERBURNE INN RESTORATION PROJECT INCSheburneNY$57k0
SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO RADIO FOUNDATIOAlamogordoNM$57k0
LEWISTON ROUNDUP ASSOCIATION INCLewistonID$57k0
MADISON COUNTY FALLEN OFFICERS MEMORIAL FUNDBethaltoIL$57k0
WASHINGTON COUNTY MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONChatomAL$57k0
INLAND NORTHWEST OPERA INCCoeur D AleneID$57k0
CHORAL ARTS LINKNashvilleTN$57k0
MAINE SKI & SNOWBOARD MUSEUMKingfieldME$57k0
INTERMEZZO INCSalt Lake CityUT$57k1
THE ACTORS ATTICColumbiaIL$57k1
CDance Company for the ArtsColumbusOH$57k0
MOUNDS THEATRE COMPANYSaint PaulMN$57k0
GREENSBURG CIVIC THEATREGreensburgPA$57k0
TRI CREEK BAND BOOSTERSLowellIN$57k0
SPARKS FOR SUCCESSAustinTX$57k1
CULTURAL CORNER ART GUILD AND GALLERYChillicotheMO$57k0
VOCE INCViennaVA$57k1
SHAKESPEARE DOWNTOWN INCNew YorkNY$57k0
ANTIQUE ICE TOOLS MUSEUM INCWest ChesterPA$57k0
BEN E CLEMENT MINERAL MUSEUMMarionKY$57k0
Energy Unlimited NFPChicagoIL$57k0
NYC Arts Cypher IncStaten IslandNY$57k0
TRUTH FIRST FILM ALLIANCE - INCMolineIL$57k0
THE RAY & DIANA MUNGENAST FAMILY FOUNDATIONWildwoodMO$57k0
CHEROKEE CIVIC THEATRE INCRuskTX$57k0