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 695 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
MASSCREATIVE ACTION NETWORK INCBostonMA$40k1
CLASSICAL MUSIC ACADEMYEaganMN$40k0
Portland Open Studios IncPortlandOR$40k1
COMMUNITY ARTS & FESTIVALS INCLos AngelesCA$40k0
LUSTER AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITABartowFL$40k0
SPRINGDALE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FOUNDATIONPeoriaIL$40k0
Associated Artists of Winston-Salem IncWinston SalemNC$40k0
VIRGINIANS FOR THE ARTS FOUNDATIONRichmondVA$40k0
GREATER CLEVELAND FEIS SOCIETYClevelandOH$40k0
THE SPOKEN WORD EXCHANGE INCMiamiFL$40k0
PEER RECOVERY ART PROJECT INCModestoCA$40k0
GLEN TETLEY LEGACYNew YorkNY$40k1
55ACRE PROJECTVistaCA$40k0
New Jersey Air Victory MuseumLumbertonNJ$40k0
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS OF THE OLD MILL VILLAGE MUSEUM INCNew MilfordPA$40k0
WHITE KNUCKLES PRODUCTIONS INCNew YorkNY$40k0
National Society of Arts and Letters Washington DC ChapterFrederickMD$40k0
RENAISSANCE CHINESE CULTURAL ASSOCIATION INCAndoverMA$40k0
C- K AUTUMN FEST INCKenovaWV$40k0
KIPUKA OLA NATIVE HAWAIIAN RESOURCESWest JordanUT$40k0
ORQUETA DE GUIROS DE PR INCPoncePR$40k0
JEWISH CHORALE OF GREATER PHILADELPHIAPhiladelphiaPA$40k2
Seabrook Educational & Cultural Center IncSeabrookNJ$40k1
FOOTHILLS FARMSTEADWestminsterSC$40k0
Frederick Chopin Singing Society Cultural Foundation IncBuffaloNY$40k0
CELEBRATING ASIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE FOUNDATIONPlanoTX$40k0
Maine Alliance for Arts EducationAugustaME$40k1
ELIZABETHTOWN HISTORICAL SOCIETYElizabethtownPA$40k0
SOCIETY FOR CREATIVE ANACHRONISM - MASSACHUSETTS INCScotts ValleyCA$40k0
OLD BRICK HOUSE FOUNDATIONColonial HeightsVA$40k0
WAYNE THEATRE INCCorydonIA$40k3
CONCERTS FOR COMPASSION INCORPORATEDPort ChesterNY$40k0
NATIONAL HAND DANCE ASSOCIATIONWashingtonDC$40k0
FRIENDS OF THE DEY MANSION INCTotowaNJ$40k0
CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE OF MILWAUKEE INC C/O PAUL EILBESCedarburgWI$40k0
BETWEEN THE LINES STUDIO THEATREHellertownPA$40k0
Moody Bradley House Foundation IncFairfieldTX$40k0
POLISH LEGION OF AMERICAN VETERANS LINCOLN POST 13ClevelandOH$40k0
North Okaloosa Historical AssociationBakerFL$40k1
LOIRE VALLEY THEATER FESTIVAL INC C/O MIRANDA BARRYHudsonNY$40k0
450 Muscle Car Museum IncClaremoreOK$40k0
RAMOUN CULTURAL CENTER DBA RAMMUN VILLAGE FOUNDATIONAnn ArborMI$40k0
BEE GAIA INCNaplesFL$40k0
BRANDY STATION FOUNDATIONBrandy StationVA$40k0
RIVERSIDE DICKENS FESTIVAL INCRiversideCA$40k0
DEPOT COMMONS ASSOCIATION OF GRAND RAPIDSGrand RapidsMN$40k0
CLASSICAL ACTORS ENSEMBLERosevilleMN$40k1
THE RALPH & LILIAN FENDIG SUMMER THEATRE FOR CHILDREN INCRensselaerIN$40k0
Uptown Music TheatreNew OrleansLA$40k0
MOBILE AMUSEMENT INDUSTRY INC DBA OABA-DUKE SMITH SCHOLARSHIP FDWest SpringfieldMA$40k0