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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 651 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
FISHER POETS GATHERING INCGearhartOR$54k0
SACRED HARP MUSICAL HERITAGE ASSOCIATIONHuntsvilleAL$54k0
CatitudeGallery & Studio A Community Arts Center DBA CATITUDE ARTSGoodyearAZ$54k4
BROWNSBURG MUSEUMBrownsburgVA$54k0
IDIOPATHIC RIDICULOPATHY CONSORTIUMPhiladelphiaPA$54k0
AIKIDO OF LIVERMORE SHINREI DOJOLivermoreCA$54k0
First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Community Development IncJacksonvilleFL$54k0
GUJARATI SAMAJ OF THE CAPITAL DISTRAlbanyNY$54k0
L Caroline Underwood Historical Museum TrustKeuka ParkNY$54k0
Marin Musical Theatre CompanyLarkspurCA$54k0
Asvins FoundationWilmingtonDE$54k0
FENCE MAGAZINE INCAstoriaNY$54k0
Poetry by the Sea IncHainesportNJ$54k0
PROVIDENCE BALLET THEATREProvidenceRI$54k0
San Diego Alpha FoundationSan DiegoCA$54k0
Point Fermin Lighthouse SocietySan PedroCA$54k0
TERRELL COUNTY HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY INCDawsonGA$54k0
LONG MEADOW ART RESIDENCY INCNew MarlboroughMA$54k0
SOUTHERN FOREST WORLD INCWaycrossGA$54k0
PERUVIAN PARADE INCPatersonNJ$54k0
Spirit of the Lord MinistriesCheyenneWY$54k0
SPA CITY STEAMERS INCHot SpringsAR$54k0
EMPIRE ARTS ALLIANCE INCPoughkeepsieNY$54k0
KENT NEWS INCKentCT$54k0
CUPCAKES FOR CANCER FOUNDATIONWilmingtonDE$54k0
CENTER ON CONTEMPORARY ARTSeattleWA$54k0
INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL ARTS NETWORKHonoluluHI$54k0
ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATIONFountain ValleyCA$54k0
OUIATENON PRESERVE INCLafayetteIN$54k0
VIVA BRAZIL CULTURAL CENTEREagle MountainUT$54k0
WISCASSET CREATIVE ALLIANCEWiscassetME$54k0
DANCE OJAIOjaiCA$54k4
IN MEDIOPortlandOR$54k0
Emotions Dance IncorporatedWinter ParkFL$54k0
SODC INCElmhurstIL$54k0
SOCIETY OF UNIQUE ARTISTSNew YorkNY$54k1
MINNETONKA CURTAIN CALL CLUBMinnetonkaMN$54k0
KETTLE RUN HS BAND BOOSTERS ASSOCWarrentonVA$54k0
A CHANCE 2 DANCE INCPrincetonNJ$54k1
THE CHOIRS OF SING HOSANNAButlerPA$54k0
BALLET THEATRE SOUTH INCAlbanyGA$54k0
T LANG DANCEMabletonGA$54k0
Racing Thoughts IncBrooklynNY$54k1
ATHENS ARTS LEAGUEAthensAL$54k1
LAFAYETTE ART ASSOCIATIONLafayetteLA$54k0
COLQUITT COUNTY ARTS FOUNDATION INC CO FRALEY CARLTONMoultrieGA$54k0
PADUCAH QUILT MURALSPaducahKY$54k0
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS - ARIZONA INCEloyAZ$54k0
Litro Media IncNew YorkNY$54k0
Chattanooga National Memorial for the UnbornChattanoogaTN$54k0