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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 699 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
SAN ANTONIO BLACK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALSan AntonioTX$38k0
THAYER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM INCBelvidereNE$38k0
PHILADELPHIA WATER COLOR SOCIETYChadds FordPA$38k0
CORPORATE ETHICS INTERNATIONALSan DiegoCA$38k1
ELIZABETH HISTORICAL SOCIETYElizabethIL$38k0
EXETER BY DESIGN FOUNDATIONExeterCA$38k0
MARIE-CHRISTINE GIORDANO DANCE COBrooklynNY$38k1
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THEATER OWNERS OF NEW JERSEY INCBelle MeadNJ$38k1
BILLERICA YANKEE DOODLE HOMECOMING INCBillericaMA$38k0
XIPE PROJECTS INCORPORATEDHuntington BeachCA$38k0
ASOCIACION CARNAVALESCA DE MASS INCLawrenceMA$38k0
North Central Florida Blues SocietyGainesvilleFL$38k0
Global Media Technologies and Cultures Lab IncSanta BarbaraCA$38k0
H BROWN TW HIST SOCIETY DEPittsburghPA$38k1
GOLDEN GATE LIVE STEAMERS INCEl CerritoCA$38k0
Maui County Sister Cities Foundation IncWailukuHI$38k0
NEW JERSEY FEDERATION OF MUSIC CLUBS INCFlorham ParkNJ$38k0
SOUTHWEST ALTERNATE MEDIA PROJECTHoustonTX$38k0
ART LAUNCHHoustonTX$38k0
SCREEN AMERICA INCBakersfieldCA$38k1
ENCANTUS MUSIC INCMiamiFL$38k0
ETOWAH COUNTY FAIR ASSOCIATION INCAttallaAL$38k0
UNITED ATLANTA HARARIS INCDecaturGA$38k0
NAPLES QUILTERS GUILD INCNaplesFL$38k0
THE AFTERMATH PROJECT INCLos AngelesCA$38k1
Sparta Celtic Festival IncSpartaMI$38k0
NIBLICK MUSIC SERIESPortlandOR$38k0
THE VASAVI SOCIETY INCMetuchenNJ$38k0
KINGS CHOIR OF HAMPTON ROADSChesapeakeVA$38k0
CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF INDIAWichitaKS$38k0
STUNT3 MULTIMEDIA CHARITYGrosse PointeMI$38k0
MEMORIAL SOCIETY OF THE COLUMBUS POLICE HONOR GUARDColumbusOH$38k0
THE LIZA MARIBEL FOUNDATION INCAlamoCA$38k0
Tipton D Merl Post 43 CanteenHome Association Incorporated Veterans of ForeRoaring SpringPA$38k0
BLACK ART IN AMERICA FOUNDATION INCAtlantaGA$38k0
KILLBUCK VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETYKillbuckOH$38k0
THE GUILDRochesterMI$38k0
LITTLESTOWN AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETYLittlestownPA$38k0
NRITHYANJALI SCHOOL OF DANCEBolingbrookIL$38k0
NORTHERN NECK ORCHESTRA FOUNDATIONWhite StoneVA$38k0
CHINESE FINANCE ASSOCIATIONNew YorkNY$38k0
NAADAMCarrolltonTX$38k0
WASHINGTON ATHLETIC CLUB FOUNDATIONSeattleWA$38k0
INDIAN CULTURAL CENTERBristolVA$38k0
CHINESE AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCSouth PasadenaCA$38k0
KERSHAW AREA MUSIC SUPPORTERSKershawSC$38k0
I Can of Arkansas IncLittle RockAR$38k0
IMAN MEDIA GROUP INCTracyCA$38k0
SALAAM TELEVISION NETWORK INCIrvineCA$38k0
CENTRAL WISCONSIN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAYWausauWI$38k0