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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 649 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
International Foundation for Theatre Education and ResearchFishersIN$54k0
ASIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF CINCINNATICincinnatiOH$54k0
GRAND RAPIDS PLAYERS INCGrand RapidsMN$54k0
Lavender Light The Black & People of All Colors Lesbian & Gay ChoirNew YorkNY$54k0
WEST JERSEY CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY INCMoorestownNJ$54k1
US New Star Music Inc US New Star Music IncPalo AltoCA$54k0
BURNSVILLE FIRE MUSTER & COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONBurnsvilleMN$54k0
PLAYHOUSE BOWL ASSOCIATION INCBanningCA$54k0
A CHILDREN'S THEATRE OF THE MESILLALas CrucesNM$54k0
HOLOCAUST MUSIC LOST & FOUNDNew YorkNY$54k0
STARSTRUCK THEATRE INCStuartFL$54k0
Onstage Theater Arts for ChildrenElk GroveCA$54k1
BAL HARBOUR POLICE LEGACY FOUNDATION INCBal HarbourFL$54k0
PUGC FOUNDATION INCPrincetonNJ$54k0
FEAST OF THE FLOWERING MOON INCChillicotheOH$54k0
WILLIAM FERRIS CHORALEChicagoIL$54k4
THE SOCIETY FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE GARY BATHING BEACH AQUATORIUMGaryIN$54k1
Madison Cable Access Group IncMadisonCT$54k0
RANDOM ACCESS MUSIC LTDAstoriaNY$54k0
PROJECT MERZINCCherry HillNJ$54k0
Performing Arts Patrons Association IncMabletonGA$54k0
LINCOLN HIGHWAY HERITAGE FESTIVALRochelleIL$54k0
Kinsman Avenue Publishing IncRochesterNY$54k0
SALVIES WHO LUNCH INCLos AngelesCA$54k0
SPRINGFIELD BURYING GROUND INCSpringfieldOH$54k0
IRISH DANCE ASSOCIATION OF COLUMBUSDublinOH$54k0
THE FRIENDS OF NORTH SHORE CHILDRENS MUSEUMPeabodyMA$54k0
PIEDMONT AREA VETERANS ASSOCIATION INCPiedmontOK$54k0
G K CHESTERTON THEATRE COMPANYLos AngelesCA$54k1
TELUGU ASSOCIATION OF GREATER ORLANDOWinter SpringsFL$54k0
MIAMI VALLEY MILITARY HISTORY MUSEUMFairbornOH$54k0
Ozark Heritage Arts CenterLeslieAR$54k0
NEW YORK OPERA SOCIETY INCPotomacMD$54k0
TELUGU ASSOCIATION OF KENTUCKIANALouisvilleKY$54k0
PINECREST CITY MUSIC PROJECT INCPinecrestFL$54k9
CALYX INCCorvallisOR$54k0
MELODIA WOMENS CHOIR OF NYC INCNew YorkNY$54k0
CAPITAL AREA BUDOKAIAlexandriaVA$54k0
DEXTER COMMUNITY PLAYERSDexterMI$54k0
NORTH BEND COMMUNITY THEATERNorth BendWA$54k0
International Gymnastics Hall of Fame IncNormanOK$54k0
MIRANDOLA ENSEMBLERichfieldMN$54k1
The Tacy Foundation IncGermantownMD$54k0
BERENICE M EISWIRTH SCHOLARSHIP FDMilwaukeeWI$54k1
GAYATRI PARIWAR OF LONG ISLAND INCDeer ParkNY$54k0
International Beautiful You Fashion Tour IncFort WorthTX$54k0
ARTSLAFAYETTELafayetteCO$54k0
MISSISSIPPI HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCJacksonMS$54k0
PORCH LIGHT LITERARY CENTERIowa CityIA$54k1
The Stemtown Historical SocietyGreen SpringsOH$54k1