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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 648 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
FRIENDS OF OBERLIN VILLAGERaleighNC$55k0
Community Choir of the Valley IncClovisCA$55k0
THE STUDIO DANCE COMPANY & PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMYFlatwoodsKY$55k3
Chamber Music LiveHoustonMN$55k1
TROY ARTS COUNCILTroyAL$55k0
THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF PLACE INCSanta FeNM$55k0
Friends of East County ArtsSpring ValleyCA$55k0
ALBUQUERQUE FOLK FESTIVALAlbuquerqueNM$55k0
Sonoma Art SchoolHealdsburgCA$55k0
HAKKA ASSOCIATION OF NY INCFlushingNY$55k0
LAFAYETTE ALLIANCE INCLaGrangeGA$55k0
HISTORIC ST ELMO AND CHALK CREEK CANYON INCNathropCO$55k0
CAPROCK CULTURAL ASSOCIATION INCPostTX$55k0
CAMP ROBERTS HISTORICAL MUSEUM FOUNDATIONCamp RobertsCA$55k0
COSTUMERS OF COLOROak HarborWA$55k0
Perugia PressFlorenceMA$55k1
SAVANNAH WIND SYMPHONYSavannahGA$55k0
JAPANESE CULTURAL CENTER OF KONAKailua KonaHI$55k0
ARTSTILLERYDallasTX$55k1
REDWOOD VIKING BAND INCThousand OaksCA$55k0
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE BUFFALO INCBuffaloNY$55k0
PITTSBURGH TAMIL SANGAMBridgevillePA$55k0
FLORENCE SYMPHONY GUILDFlorenceSC$55k0
THE LISETTE MODEL FOUNDATION INC C/O RICHARD R BLAKEMANBoca RatonFL$55k0
POWRPLNT INCBrooklynNY$55k0
Afriky LoloFlorissantMO$55k1
Maus Middle School Band Booster ClubFriscoTX$55k0
COUNTRY DANCE AND SONG SOCIETY INCNew YorkNY$55k0
Celebrate Commemorate Memorial DayWaterlooNY$55k0
FUN TIMES SINGERSINCLos GatosCA$55k0
EL MUSEO FRANCISCO OLLER Y DIEGO RIVERABuffaloNY$55k2
Community Action for Reintegration & Empowerment IncNixaMO$55k0
Friends of OperaLincolnNE$55k0
INFINITY MODELS MIAMIDavieFL$55k0
BAKERSFIELD YOUTH SYMPHONYBakersfieldCA$55k0
IREDELL CONCERT ASSOCIATION INCStatesvilleNC$55k0
Harrisburg Mens ChorusHarrisburgPA$55k1
GARDEN STATE PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY SOCIETY INCToms RiverNJ$55k1
SWEET ADELINES INTERNATIONALGilbertsIL$55k0
COMTE DE GRASSE CHAPTER NSDARYorktownVA$55k0
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MOUNT LEBANONPittsburghPA$55k0
O'CONNELL AND COMPANY PRODUCTIONS INCAmherstNY$55k1
BEAVER VALLEY COMMUNITY CONCERT ASSOCIATIONEllwood CityPA$55k0
PERRYSBURG MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANYPerrysburgOH$55k0
CHILDRENS THEATER FESTIVAL INCTryonNC$55k0
FIRE ARTS INCSouth BendIN$55k0
SUDANESE AMERICAN UNITY ASSOCIATIONEverettWA$54k0
SLANCHOGLEDI LANGUAGE SCHOOLGlen EllynIL$54k0
Upper Town Heritage Foundation IncPaducahKY$54k0
CASA ARGENTINA DE HOUSTONHoustonTX$54k0