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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 755 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
VINTAGE THUNDER INCMadisonIN$20k0
Kragon Historical Preservation IncLawrenceburgKY$20k0
ASSOCIATED DANCE TEACHERS OF NEW JERSEY A NEW JERSEY NON PROFITBloomfieldNJ$20k0
BALLET GLORIA COKnoxvilleTN$20k1
Global Bassolians for Development and ProgressPawtucketRI$20k0
MACK THEATRE GROUP INCMilwaukeeWI$20k1
AFGHAN AMERICAN BUSINESS ALLIANCE INCTemeculaCA$20k0
Magpie FoundationNewtownPA$20k0
The Don and Ruth Clark Foundation for MusicPleasant ViewUT$20k0
The Afghan Peaks CharitySwarthmorePA$20k0
DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR COLO HOLIDAY COMMISSIONDenverCO$20k0
KOSSUTH COUNTY AGRICULTURAL & MOTOR SPORTS MUSEUMAlgonaIA$20k0
SEATTLE WOMENS JAZZ ORCHESTRASeattleWA$20k0
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FOR AFRICAN CULTURES INCBowieMD$20k0
POWERHOUSE ARTS AND WINE FESTIVAL CORPORATIONJersey CityNJ$20k0
MSU MOCK TRIAL ASSOCIATIONEast LansingMI$20k0
BESPOKE PLAYS INCBeverly HillsCA$20k0
WELLINGTON DESI ASSOCIATION CORPORATIONWellingtonFL$20k0
ASSOCIATION OF MEITEIS IN THE AMERICASHoustonTX$20k0
BAVARIAN CULTURAL SOCIETY OF LONG ISLAND INCYonkersNY$20k0
ANCAM ANTIQUE AIRFIELD MUSEUMWest BurlingtonIA$20k0
FRANKFORT BLUEGRASS FESTIVALFrankfortIL$20k0
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETYLong ValleyNJ$20k0
INTERFAZE EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTIONS INCBerkeleyCA$20k0
AIA ILLINOIS FOUNDATIONSpringfieldIL$20k0
GRAND MESA IMPRESSIONZ INCCedaredgeCO$20k0
SWEA INTERNATIONAL BOSTON CHAPTER CO KARIN WHITING BURGESSStoningtonCT$20k0
Concert on the Green IncOrange ParkFL$20k0
FRIENDS OF KHKEKUNI INCCedar FallsIA$20k0
Yorick Ensemble IncRevereMA$20k0
CHANTICLEERSCastro ValleyCA$20k0
HISPANOS UNIDOS INCPalm Beach GardensFL$20k0
ARTS CONSORTIUM OF DELAWARE INCWilmingtonDE$20k0
KASSIA SOCIETY FOR MUSIC INCBurtonsvilleMD$20k0
AMERICAN DANCESPORT ORGANIZATION INCCoral SpringsFL$20k0
GLOBAL COMMUNITY ARTS FOUNDATIONCheverlyMD$20k0
BILL JOHNSON MEMORIAL FUNDRAISERSDallasPA$20k0
Loving Legacy Fan & Dai FoundationCollegevillePA$20k0
ARKANSAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SOC GUILDLittle RockAR$20k0
HUDSON THEATRE WORKSWeehawkenNJ$20k0
DR MARGARET WADE-LEWIS BLACK HISTORY CULTURAL CENTER INCNew PaltzNY$20k0
FENWAY PARK LIVING MUSEUM FUNDBostonMA$20k0
AUSTIN VIETNAMESE SENIOR CITIZENSAustinTX$20k0
SQUIDSTOCKSheltonWA$20k0
Daisy studios incLawrenceKS$20k0
VALSAD PATEL SAMAJ OF AMERICA A NJ NON PROFIT CORPORATIONEdisonNJ$20k0
SUGAR CREEK OPERA LTDWatsekaIL$20k1
LIFE MESSENGERS INCDupontWA$20k0
THE VISTA CENTER FOR THE ARTSSurpriseAZ$20k0
Fort Taber Fort Rodman Historical Association IncNew BedfordMA$20k0