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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 69 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
DETROIT SOUND CONSERVANCYDetroitMI$2.2M2
LAS VEGAS MUSEUM OF ARTLas VegasNV$2.2M1
KINGDOM COUNTY PRODUCTIONS INCBarnetVT$2.2M2
HILL-STEAD MUSEUMFarmingtonCT$2.2M2
THE LITTLE THEATRE FILM SOCIETY INCRochesterNY$2.2M3
THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND FOUNDATION USA INCBostonMA$2.2M1
ROBOT HEART FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$2.2M2
LONG BEACH MUSEUM OF ART FOUNDATIONLong BeachCA$2.2M2
Tacoma Musical PlayhouseTacomaWA$2.2M2
ASPEN ART MUSEUM FOUNDATIONAspenCO$2.2M0
BLUE BEAR SCHOOL of MUSICSan FranciscoCA$2.2M0
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REPERTORY THEATREGrand LakeCO$2.2M1
ELACHEE NATURE SCIENCE CENTER INCGainesvilleGA$2.2M1
The Parlor RoomNorthamptonMA$2.2M1
NATIONAL YOUNGARTS FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONMiamiFL$2.2M2
THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF CHARLOTTESVLLE INCCharlottesvilleVA$2.2M0
BELLEVUE ART MUSEUMBellevueWA$2.2M2
ARTS DISTRICT LOS ANGELESLos AngelesCA$2.2M1
317 Main St Community Center IncYarmouthME$2.2M1
EastSide Arts AllianceOaklandCA$2.2M0
ADIRONDACK LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTSBlue Mountain LakeNY$2.2M0
INDIESPACE INCAstoriaNY$2.2M2
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF LES ARTS FLORISSANTS INCNew YorkNY$2.2M0
PLYMOUTH AREA COMMUNITY ACCESS TELEVISION INCPlymouthMA$2.2M2
Historic Hoosiers Hills RCD IncVersaillesIN$2.2M1
Asheville Art Museum Association IncAshevilleNC$2.2M1
AMERICAN JAZZ MUSEUMKansas CityMO$2.2M2
MONTANA FREE PRESSHelenaMT$2.2M1
VENETIAN HERITAGE INCNew YorkNY$2.2M0
KASS-WARREN FOUNDATION CORPPurchaseNY$2.2M0
KUUMBA LYNXChicagoIL$2.1M3
Esther Simplot Performing Arts AcademyBoiseID$2.1M0
CROSSMEN PRODUCTIONS INCSan AntonioTX$2.1M1
Kimball Art CenterPark CityUT$2.1M1
THE DECKER WEISS FAMILY FOUNDATION INCOld GreenwichCT$2.1M0
Kuumbwa Jazz SocietySanta CruzCA$2.1M3
ASAPH LOVECanoga ParkCA$2.1M0
Lyric Stage Company of Boston IncBostonMA$2.1M1
Pikes Peak Regional AirshowColorado SpringsCO$2.1M0
Porchlight Music Theatre ChicagoChicagoIL$2.1M2
CHAMBER MUSIC NORTHWESTPortlandOR$2.1M1
BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF INDUSTRY INCBaltimoreMD$2.1M2
FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM INCBrocktonMA$2.1M1
ARTS COUNCIL FOR MONTEREY COUNTYMontereyCA$2.1M2
HERMITAGE ARTIST RETREAT INCEnglewoodFL$2.1M2
ARMENIAN CULTURAL FOUNDATIONGlendaleCA$2.1M0
LEGION-AIRES DRUM AND BUGLE CORPSDubuqueIA$2.1M1
FRIENDS OF WV PUBLIC BROADCASTING INCCharlestonWV$2.1M0
NATIONAL WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME INCSeneca FallsNY$2.1M2
CADE MUSEUM FOUNDATION INCGainesvilleFL$2.1M0