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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 682 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
BOSOMA DANCE COMPANY INCHamiltonMA$45k0
Larry Spring MuseumFort BraggCA$45k0
HOPKINS COUNTY VETERANS MEMORIALSulphur SpringsTX$45k0
VANPORT PLACEMARKING PROJECTPortlandOR$45k1
Historical Society of PlainfieldPlainfieldNJ$45k0
ARLENE TOPAL CREATIVE ARTS FUND INC C/O STEVEN TOPALNew YorkNY$45k0
WEAVERS GUILD OF THE NORTH SHORE NFPDes PlainesIL$45k0
C5 ARTISTS FOUNDATION OF CHICAGOChicagoIL$44k0
SCHS Booster Club IncSanta ClaraUT$44k0
WENDELL HISTORICAL SOCIETYWendellNC$44k0
The Corcoran Womens CommitteeAlexandriaVA$44k0
KEWANEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCKewaneeIL$44k0
HARMONY THEATERLower GwyneddPA$44k0
NUEVO TANGO ARTS INCNew YorkNY$44k0
HENDERSON SONGFEST INC SANDY LEE WATKINS SONGFESTHendersonKY$44k0
Gila Valley Arts CouncilSaffordAZ$44k1
KANSAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INCOverland ParkKS$44k0
THE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INCBostonMA$44k1
DRAGONFLY THEATRE COMPANY dba Subtext Studio Theatre CompanyChicagoIL$44k0
LANDL FOUNDATIONCampbellCA$44k0
BEST MEDICINE REP INCGaithersburgMD$44k0
Alpicella Family Club co Nicholas RattoAlamedaCA$44k0
BECKLEY CONCERT ASSOCIATIONBeckleyWV$44k0
HALAU KALAMAAuroraCO$44k0
MAIACA INCMiamiFL$44k0
BUFFALO GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY C/O HERITAGE DISCOVERY CENTERBuffaloNY$44k0
WENATCHEE YOUTH CIRCUS INCWenatcheeWA$44k0
INTERNET INFIDELS INCCarson CityNV$44k0
THE VINTAGE AUTO HERITAGE FOUNDATIONHoustonTX$44k0
PUMP HOUSE ART GALLERYChillicotheOH$44k0
ASSOCIATION OF BIOETHICS PROGRAM DIRECTORSClevelandOH$44k0
GATEWAY STARS BOOSTER CLUBGeorgetownTX$44k0
Haverford Band and Orchestra ParentsBryn MawrPA$44k0
SIMPATICO THEATREPhiladelphiaPA$44k1
RUTHERFURD HALL FOUNDATION INCAllamuchyNJ$44k0
TWIN LIGHTS HISTORICAL SOCIETYHighlandsNJ$44k0
SING LOVE MINISTRIES CO MICAH BECKWITHNoblesvilleIN$44k0
RIVERSIDE OPERA COMPANY INCStaten IslandNY$44k0
TIBETAN ASSOCIATION OF VERMONT INCBurlingtonVT$44k0
FRIENDS OF THE NORTH BROOKFIELD TOWN HOUSENorth BrookfieldMA$44k0
The FrontNew OrleansLA$44k0
INTERPOEZIA INCParamusNJ$44k0
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF DANCE DRILL TEAM DIRECTORSOrangeCA$44k0
NORTHWESTERN PA ARTIST ASSOCIATIONEriePA$44k0
THROWN STONE THEATRE COMPANYRidgefieldCT$44k0
SILVERTHORNE THEATER COMPANYGreenfieldMA$44k0
Hart High School Dance Team Booster ClubNewhallCA$44k0
PILIPINO ASSOCIATION IN AMERICAPort OrangeFL$44k0
AMERICAN CENTER FOR GERMAN CULTUREColumbusOH$44k0
CANTON MADISON HISTORICAL SOCIETYCantonMS$44k4