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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 725 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
ERITREAN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION INCHyattsvilleMD$29k0
ARTISTIC IBERIAN HORSE AND HORSEMANSHIP FOUNDATION INCOcalaFL$29k0
TEXAS CITY HISTORICAL PRESERVATION CORPORATIONTexas CityTX$29k0
FRIENDS OF THE IXCHEL MUSEUM INCPrincetonNJ$29k0
CIMARRON PLAYERS INC DBA CUSHING COMMUNITY THEATRECushingOK$29k0
Musical Theatre Alliance of ArizonaOro ValleyAZ$29k0
SUPPORT THE PINK HOUSEINCNewburyportMA$29k0
Sokolow Theatre Dance Ensemble LTDNew YorkNY$29k0
AGINCOURT PRESS LTDNew YorkNY$29k0
Friends of Oakdale HeritageOakdaleCA$29k0
WEST LOUISIANA VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK INCManyLA$29k0
LAST PATROL INC AN OHIO NON PROFITSwantonOH$29k0
Friends of Lexington Music Art and Drama StudentsLexingtonMA$29k0
SHANA SIMMONS DANCEPittsburghPA$29k1
Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society IncFalls VillageCT$29k0
PLAYZOOMERS INCBrooklineMA$29k2
PUSH FOLDPortlandOR$29k0
FLORIOPOLIS INCPanama CityFL$29k0
RED WING MARINE MUSEUMRed WingMN$29k0
Dan Patch Days IncSavageMN$29k0
RIVERTON DEPOT FOUNDATIONRivertonWY$29k0
BASSA MPOO BATI INCBronxNY$29k0
FRIENDS OF THE COMMONWEALTH MUSEUM INCBostonMA$29k0
HONEYDROP FOUNDATIONGarlandTX$29k0
IN VIVO PRODUCTIONS INCBostonMA$29k1
SIGNAL HILL EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONBellevilleIL$29k0
CREATE CONWAYConwayAR$29k0
Colorado Youth Pipe BandLakewoodCO$29k0
STORY ARTS INCHuntingtonNY$29k0
Glacity Theatre Collective IncToledoOH$29k0
HOUSTON BRASS BANDHoustonTX$29k1
COLFAX HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCColfaxIA$29k0
CHILDRENS BALLET THEATERMemphisTN$29k2
SAGEWOOD RESIDENTS WINE SOCIETYPhoenixAZ$29k0
HERMAN REBECCA AND GERALD GINSBURG FOUNDATIONLincolnNE$29k0
Portland Society for ArchitecturePortlandME$29k1
GENESEE VALLEY ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS INCFairportNY$29k0
FRIENDS OF LIBERTY HALLMachiasportME$29k0
Nepalis and Friends Cultural AssociationRosevilleCA$29k0
HISTORIC HERKIMER COUNTY FRIENDS OFHerkimerNY$29k0
PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY CULTURAL ASSOCIATION INCLudlowMA$29k0
BRISTOL HISTORIC PRESERVATION INCNewtownPA$29k0
UNITED ARTS AND CULTURE CENTERKatyTX$29k0
BALLET INCGreenleafWI$29k1
MuralremixColumbusOH$29k0
ADVENTURES IN PRESERVATIONBoulderCO$29k0
Brown Grove Preservation GroupRichmondVA$29k0
TULARE BAND BOOSTER CLUB INCTulareCA$29k0
Clavecin SocietyPalo AltoCA$29k0
OREGON COAST HISTORICAL RAILWAYCoos BayOR$29k0