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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 759 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
COLD SPRING HARBOR MAIN STREET ASSOCIATION INCCold Spring HarborNY$19k0
Baker Community Arts AssociationAuroraCO$19k0
Hispanic Debutante Association of Fort WorthLake WorthTX$19k0
NEWTON B FOR MILAN HIST MUSEUMPittsburghPA$19k1
ARTS EQUITYJamestownRI$19k0
FORT MILL RIDGE FOUNDATION INCRomneyWV$19k0
DALLAS CEMETERY TRUSTDallasGA$19k0
WATERFOLWERS FOR WARRIORSLinwoodMI$19k0
Nova Thamizh NanbargalFalls ChurchVA$19k0
PRESERVATIONWORKSCorvallisOR$19k0
Community Music ProjectEast ProvidenceRI$19k0
SEATTLE METROPOLITAN POLICE MUSEUMEllensburgWA$19k0
MUSIC BRINGS LIFE INCBrooklynNY$19k0
GREAT DECISIONS OF WAYNE COUNTYWoosterOH$19k0
LYDIANSTRINGQUARTETMarlboroughMA$19k0
San Francisco Basque Folkloric GroupsCorte MaderaCA$19k0
THE ACCIDENTAL REPERTORY THEATER INCNew YorkNY$19k0
WAYLAND DEPOT INCWaylandMA$19k0
ROBERT GARDNER MILLCREEK PIONEER HOMEMesaAZ$19k1
Northern Santa Barbara County Women Lawyers AssociationSanta MariaCA$19k0
COMPASSION & COOKINGLouisvilleKY$19k0
ICELANDIC COMMUNITIES ASSOCIATIONMountainND$19k0
GALA ART CENTER INCCollege PointNY$19k0
SUZUKI ASSOCIATION OF MINNESOTABloomingtonMN$19k0
SAINT LOUIS JAGANNATH CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL CENTER INCWildwoodMO$19k0
OUTSOUND PRESENTSSan FranciscoCA$19k0
THE PAUL MADORE CHORALE INCSalemMA$19k0
THE NEW PARABLES INCTulsaOK$19k1
TRI STATE MUSEUM FOUNDATIONBelle FourcheSD$19k0
MILITARY SEA SERVICES MUSEUM INCSebringFL$19k0
HAINES COMMUNITY CHARITABLE FUNDHainesOR$19k0
THE THORPE INC THE THORPE INCDavid CityNE$19k0
COOS COUNTY CULTURAL COALITIONCoos BayOR$19k0
BARNES AREA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONBarnesWI$19k0
KENAN ARTS COUNCIL INCLockportNY$19k0
MI MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP FUNDTraverse CityMI$19k0
ALL SUDANESSE AMERICAN SOCIETYRancho CucamongaCA$19k0
THE SEVEN KEYS FOUNDATIONSanta MonicaCA$19k0
New York Singing Teachers Association IncFranklin ParkNJ$19k0
BENTON COUNTY VETERANS MEMORIAL INCCorvallisOR$19k0
INDIANA FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMERichmondIN$19k0
ALASKA FOLK FESTIVAL INCJuneauAK$19k0
Beechwood Arts IncNorwalkCT$19k0
DELLORA A NORRIS TR #602 FBO CULTURAL ARTSChicagoIL$19k1
CorDallas HornsJoshuaTX$19k0
INDIAN ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN CT INCDanburyCT$19k0
SETH THOMAS-BRAD STREET HOUSE INCThomastonCT$19k0
KOREA & HAWAII HISTORY CLUBHonoluluHI$19k0
THE SALT LAKE EASTERN ART CLUBSalt Lake CityUT$19k0
FRIENDS OF THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF VIENNA INCNew YorkNY$19k0