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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 700 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
CARROLL COUNTY COMMISSION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE ARTS INCCarrolltonOH$38k0
ANTIQUE CAR MUSEUM OF IOWAIowa CityIA$38k0
BADER SIMON FOUNDATIONBerkeleyCA$38k0
Baltimore Blues Society IncArnoldMD$38k0
Crosspulse IncOaklandCA$38k2
PALISTORY INCMariettaGA$38k0
INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME FOUNDATIONTalladegaAL$38k0
OPERA-MATIC NFPChicagoIL$38k0
CAMEROONIAN FAMILY NORTH HOUSTONHoustonTX$38k0
FRIENDS OF JEFFERSON PATTERSON PARKSaint LeonardMD$38k0
SCRANTON MUSIC ASSOCIATIONScrantonPA$38k0
BLUE FIRE STAGE COMPANYHaddamCT$38k0
GILES HIGH SCHOOL CHORAL BOOSTERS INCPembrokeVA$38k0
Arizona Pharmacy Foundation IncTempeAZ$38k0
Delicious Red BoostersCantonOH$38k0
GRANDVIEW HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS PATRONS INCAuroraCO$38k0
ROBERT CARWITHEN MUSIC FOUNDATIONLafayette HillPA$38k0
LOS ANGELES CHAMBER CHOIR INCLos AngelesCA$38k0
Arlington Symphony OrchestraArlingtonTX$38k0
RICHMOND AREA HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETYRichmondMI$38k0
IRISH CULTURAL FOUNDATION OF SOUTH CAROLINALugoffSC$38k0
Kerala Association of NashvilleMount JulietTN$38k0
FRIENDS OF GREYSTONEBeverly HillsCA$38k0
NOLA ARTIST INCUBATORNew OrleansLA$38k1
FORT WILLIAM HARRISON MUSEUM FOUNDATIONFort HarrisonMT$38k0
ANNA SOSENKO ASSIST TRUSTNew YorkNY$38k4
OLD LYME HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCOld LymeCT$38k0
RANDOM LAKE AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCRandom LakeWI$38k0
STAGE NOTES ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTSAthensTX$38k0
NEW HOPE COLONY FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS INCNew HopePA$38k0
Friends of Georgetown HistorySeattleWA$38k4
THE EVA HESSE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$38k0
Peninsula Hill FoundationRancho Palos VerdesCA$38k0
DESCANSO TOWNHALL ASSOCIATIONDescansoCA$38k0
Historic Orangeville Train Station AssociationOrangevillePA$38k0
LANIAKEA FOUNDATIONHonoluluHI$38k0
ST CATHERINES OF DUBUQUE HERITAGE ASSOCIATIONHoisingtonKS$38k0
BUFFALO NIAGARA CHOIRS INCGetzvilleNY$38k0
GREEN DANCE COMPANY BOOSTERS INCDowagiacMI$38k0
Sherwood Community Chamber ChoirDamascusMD$38k0
KOKOMO COMMUNITY CONCERTS INCKokomoIN$38k0
108 South ArizonaButteMT$38k0
Bristol Theatre CompanyBristolRI$38k0
THE BOARDERS AND STEWARDS OF THE MONASTERYPhiladelphiaPA$38k0
M & J RESOURCES FOUNDATIONTorranceCA$38k0
SANTA FE SOUL FESTIVALSanta FeNM$38k0
NATIONAL BROADWAY THEATRE INCGrand RapidsMI$38k0
READING AREA FIREFIGHTERS MUSEUMReadingPA$38k0
CELEBRATE MAYA PROJECTLittle RockAR$38k0
LAGUNA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC BOOSTERS ASSOCIATIONLaguna HillsCA$38k0