Skip to main content
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 687 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
DALE COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS COUNCILOzarkAL$43k0
Mississippi Cultural Crossroads IncPort GibsonMS$43k0
GLENBROOK SOUTH INSTRUMENTAL LEAGUEGlenviewIL$43k0
KENT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALKentWA$43k0
DIASPORA ARTS COALITION INCMiamiFL$43k0
Campbell County Historical Society IncRustburgVA$43k0
CACHE IN MEDFORD INCMedfordMA$43k0
Inland Empire Contemporary Ballet IncRiversideCA$43k0
RED ELITESLubbockTX$43k0
OXNARD HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERSOxnardCA$43k0
PDL LIVING HERITAGE HUB INCCuberoNM$43k0
THANKFUL HERITAGEKernersvilleNC$43k0
ZELIENOPLE HISTORICAL SOCIETYZelienoplePA$43k0
BALLET FOLKLORICO OLLIN INCPanorama CityCA$43k0
THE NEW YORK NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE INCNew YorkNY$43k1
GOETHE HOUSE WISCONSIN INCWauwatosaWI$43k3
CASA DE VENEZUELALafayette HillPA$43k0
CHARLESTON PIPE BANDMount PleasantSC$43k0
Quilters Connection IncArlingtonMA$43k0
ANCHORAGE FESTIVAL OF MUSICAnchorageAK$43k1
1943 CHRYSLER M4A4 SHERMAN TANK-CHEYENNE INCEvansvilleIN$43k0
FOUNTAIN CITY ART CENTER INCKnoxvilleTN$43k1
DUNBARHORACE MANN ARCHIVESLittle RockAR$43k0
CAMP FORD HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION INCTylerTX$43k0
FRIENDS OF WEST SPRINGFIELD BASEBALLWest SpringfieldMA$43k0
CASTLE VIEW BAND BOOSTERSCastle RockCO$43k0
PUBLICK MUSICK INCRochesterNY$43k2
The Hundredth Hill IncBloomingtonIN$43k1
ISLE THEATER COMPANY INCDeer IsleME$43k1
Harvard Chinese Students and Scholars AssociationWatertownMA$42k0
FUSION DANCE TEAMSyracuseIN$42k0
SELBYVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETYSelbyvilleDE$42k0
PORT ANGELES ATHLETIC EDUCATION FOUNDATIONPort AngelesWA$42k0
ALFRED AND URSULA POWELL FOUNDATIONLakewoodCO$42k0
REIGN DANCE THEATERShakopeeMN$42k2
Friends of the Greenbelt Museum IncGreenbeltMD$42k0
DOLCE CANTO INCMissoulaMT$42k0
Lumen Repertory Theatre of Greater Jacksonville IncJacksonvilleFL$42k3
Spokane Entertainers GuildSpokaneWA$42k0
CENTRAL PASCO AND GULF RAILROAD INCSpring HillFL$42k0
THE LAKESHORE COMMUNITY CHORUSDouglasMI$42k0
Music and Arts WeekChehalisWA$42k0
SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON SYMPHONYLongviewWA$42k0
Maria Torres Emerging Artists Foundation IncEdgewaterNJ$42k0
ORANGE COUNTY MODELERS' ASSOCIATON INCAnaheimCA$42k0
COLD SPRING DANCE COMPANY INCCold SpringNY$42k0
Ridges and Rivers IncViroquaWI$42k0
THEATRE OXFORD INCOxfordMS$42k0
FRIENDS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCESWhitevilleNC$42k0
WARRIORS AT 45 NORTHPittsburgNH$42k0