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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 672 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
BODY WEATHER LABORATORYVeniceCA$48k0
ELYSIAN FIELDS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATIONMarshallTX$48k0
CHILDRENS DANCE THEATRERochesterMN$48k2
MENSINGER CHARITABLE TRUSTOrlandoFL$48k1
AUBURN REGIONAL MEDIA ACCESS INCAuburnNY$48k0
Neskaya IncFranconiaNH$48k0
BLACK MEN HIKELos AngelesCA$48k0
St Patrick's Day Parade Greater Bay Shore IncBay ShoreNY$48k0
MUSEUM AT DINOSAUR JUNCTIONEdwardsCO$48k1
WHEELER THEATRE FOUNDATIONMariettaGA$48k0
ST LOUIS OSUWA TAIKOSaint LouisMO$48k0
INDIAN ASSOCIATION OF THE SPACE COAST INCPalm BayFL$48k0
PERSIA HOUSE OF MICHIGANWest BloomfieldMI$48k0
KIMBERLY MORALES MEMORIAL FOUNDATION INCWillistonFL$48k0
BROADWAY SACRAMENTO FOUNDATIONSacramentoCA$48k1
Alternative Arts Project Inc dba The LincolnCheyenneWY$48k0
FORECAST FOUNDATIONLos AngelesCA$48k0
Re-Create IncHampton BaysNY$48k0
TWIN CITIES MOBILE JAZZ PROJECTSt PaulMN$48k0
THE HERITAGE PARK MUSEUM OF EAST TEXASEdgewoodTX$48k0
NISHKAM MEDIAGraftonMA$48k1
IMMERSIVE ARTS ALLIANCESacramentoCA$48k1
ROCHESTER - OLMSTED COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMEStewartvilleMN$48k0
TRENTON ST PATRICK'S DAY PARADE COMMITTEE INCTrentonNJ$48k0
COTOCHESET HISTORIC PRESERVATION TRUST INCOstervilleMA$48k0
BOSTON BLUEGRASS UNION INCWest NewtonMA$48k0
NGWA CULTURAL ORGANIZATION OF NORTH AMERICA INCBronxNY$48k0
THE JOHN & MARY PAPPAJOHN ART FOUNDATIONDes MoinesIA$48k0
Revival School Saint LouisSaint LouisMO$48k1
WILD RIVERS COAST FOUNDATION FOR DANCEBrookingsOR$48k0
Badlands Opera ProjectDickinsonND$48k5
CHARM CITY FILMMAKERS INCBaltimoreMD$48k0
KODALY MUSIC INSTITUTE INCBostonMA$48k0
WOLF'S CORNERS RECREATION ASSOCIATITionestaPA$48k0
WEST CARROLLTON BAND BOOSTERSWest CarrolltonOH$48k0
MIDLAND GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY INCMidlandTX$48k0
MISSION PEAK CHAMBER SINGERS INCFremontCA$48k0
Vintage Band Music FestivalNorthfieldMN$48k0
Women SongWriters Hall of FameAbingdonMD$48k0
SOCIETY FOR CREATIVE ANACHRONISM - MARYLAND INCScotts ValleyCA$48k0
BELLEVILLE HOMECOMING INCBellevilleWV$48k0
ST LOUIS SHAKESPEARESaint LouisMO$48k0
Charles Correa FoundationAllstonMA$48k0
THE GENERAL PULASKI ASSOCIATION INCCheektowagaNY$48k0
Over the Bridge ArtsDallasTX$48k1
Rhode Island Publications SocietyEast ProvidenceRI$48k0
GAR POST 25 INCChestertownMD$48k0
GUATACA NIGHTS FOUNDATION INCMiamiFL$48k0
STAGE ALIVE COMMUNITY CONCERT ASSOCIATIONCulpeperVA$48k0
LAWLER MIDDLE SCHOOL ORCHESTRA BOOSTER ASSOCIATIONFriscoTX$48k0