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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 679 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
BENTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYWarsawMO$46k0
SOCIETY FOR CREATIVE ANACHRONISM - ILLINOIS INCScotts ValleyCA$46k0
GENERAL MISCHIEF DANCE THEATRENew YorkNY$46k2
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA CHINESE CULTURE CENTER INCVisaliaCA$46k0
TIME SLIP THEATRE INCORPORATEDLouisvilleKY$46k0
CONCERTS BY THE BAY INCPerth AmboyNJ$46k0
DANCENTRE SOUTH COMPANY INCWoodstockGA$46k0
UMUOKPU NENI ORGANIZATION IN DIASPMesquiteTX$46k0
French and Indian War FoundationWinchesterVA$46k0
PERRIN AIR FORCE HISTORICAL MUSEUMDenisonTX$46k0
PORTLAND ORFF-SCHULWERK ASSOCIATIONTacomaWA$46k0
BEACON ARTS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONBeaconNY$46k0
THE EAGLES BAND INCPittsfieldMA$46k0
COLOMBIA LIVEPlymouthMN$46k0
CASA DEI MEDICIBoulderCO$46k0
MLCC FOUNDATIONMullett LakeMI$46k0
The San Franisco Advocacy for NMWAWintersCA$46k0
THE BRANDENBURG HISTORICAL GOLF MUSEUM C/O DIANE M BRANDENBURGSan JoseCA$46k0
WAYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCWaylandKY$45k0
LEXINGTON LIVE COMMUNITY THEATRE INCLexingtonNC$45k0
IVY HILL CEMETERY HISTORICAL PRESERVATION SOCIETYAlexandriaVA$45k1
CUPERTINO CHINESE SCHOOLCupertinoCA$45k1
MAGIS THEATRE COMPANY INCBrooklynNY$45k1
316 MinistriesPowayCA$45k0
CHATT HILLS ARTIST CO-OP INCChattahoochee HillsGA$45k0
Americans for Free Choice in MedicineNewport BeachCA$45k0
UNA VOCE CHAMBER CHOIRBathME$45k5
THREE RIVERS HISTORICAL SOCIETYThree RiversCA$45k0
ARCADIA CHINESE ASSOCIATIONArcadiaCA$45k0
TIBETAN INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL LIBRARYSan FranciscoCA$45k0
URASENKE FOUNDATION OF HAWAIIHonoluluHI$45k0
ELLEN PAYNE ODOM GENEALOGY LIBRARY INCMoultrieGA$45k0
THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION SOCIETYNarragansettRI$45k0
CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTE OF NOGALES ARIZONNogalesAZ$45k0
Lessons on Liberty IncWestboroughMA$45k0
DOUBLE ENTENDRE MUSIC ENSEMBLE INCNew YorkNY$45k0
PERRYSBURG SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERSPerrysburgOH$45k0
The Jazz SanctuaryPhiladelphiaPA$45k2
RED WING PROPERTY CONSERVATION FUNDSt PaulMN$45k0
The Rick Rush Art AllianceDuncanvilleAL$45k0
WEST BRANCH ARTS CONSORTIUMLogantonPA$45k0
CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION INCRenoNV$45k0
CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION OF WOODBRIDGEWoodbridgeNJ$45k0
KRISTIN DAMROW & COMPANYSan FranciscoCA$45k1
POPSHOPWV INCMorgantownWV$45k1
GRUNDY CENTER CHAMBER-MAIN STREETGrundy CenterIA$45k0
NEBRASKA CITY MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONNebraska CityNE$45k0
IGOR I SIKORSKY HISTORICAL ARCHIVESINC C/O SACRED HEART UNIVERSITYFairfieldCT$45k0
COVERED BRIDGE PLAYERSOneontaAL$45k0
ART AROUND THE CORNER FOUNDATIONSt GeorgeUT$45k0