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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 78 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Discovery Center of the So Tier IncBinghamtonNY$1.9M1
PIANOS FOR STUDENTS SOCIETYScottsdaleAZ$1.9M0
MUSIC FOR LIFE INSTITUTEBellinghamWA$1.9M2
FILMSCENEIowa CityIA$1.9M1
THE MEDIA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTSMediaPA$1.9M0
RLG LAND FOUNDATIONBakersfieldCA$1.9M0
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER EASTSIDEBellevueWA$1.9M2
Make Something Workshop IncBrooklynNY$1.9M2
ARTISTS ASSOCIATION OF NANTUCKET INCNantucketMA$1.9M1
MEDIA ARTS CENTER SAN DIEGOSan DiegoCA$1.9M1
EMERSON CENTER FOR THE ARTS AND CULTUREBozemanMT$1.9M1
ATLANTA INTERFAITH BROADCASTERSINCAtlantaGA$1.9M1
JASON LEARNINGAshburnVA$1.9M4
ASSOCIATION OF AFRICAN AMERICA MUSEUMS (AAAM)WashingtonDC$1.9M1
CRATERIAN PERFORMANCES COMPANYMedfordOR$1.9M1
JEWISH STORY PARTNERSLos AngelesCA$1.9M3
MONTGOMERY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS ASSOCIATIONMontgomeryAL$1.9M0
COASTAL DISCOVERY MUSEUMHilton Head IslandSC$1.9M1
FOLK ALLIANCE INTERNATIONALKansas CityMO$1.9M1
ASSOCIATION FOR EDUCATION IN JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONColumbiaSC$1.9M1
Friends of the Texas Historical Commission IncAustinTX$1.9M1
OREGON COAST SCENIC RAILROADTillamookOR$1.9M1
SAVANNAH PHILHARMONIC CORPORATIONSavannahGA$1.9M1
SENIOR LIVING FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE INCWashingtonDC$1.9M2
MEDIA IMPACT FUNDERS INCPhiladelphiaPA$1.9M1
THE HURRAH PLAYERS INCNorfolkVA$1.9M1
WISHTOYO FOUNDATION DBA WISHTOYO CHUMASH FOUNDATIONVenturaCA$1.9M4
NATIONAL SCULPTURE SOCIETY INCNew YorkNY$1.9M1
MISAMEACH INCLakewoodNJ$1.9M1
SOUTH CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC INCColumbiaSC$1.9M2
AMERICAN WEST HERITAGE FOUNDATIONWellsvilleUT$1.9M0
LANCASTER FESTIVAL INCLancasterOH$1.9M1
CENTRAL COLORADO CONSERVANCYSalidaCO$1.9M0
The Fresno Philharmonic AssociationFresnoCA$1.9M1
Living JazzOaklandCA$1.9M1
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK INCNew YorkNY$1.9M0
SINFONIA GULF COAST INCDestinFL$1.9M1
GREENWICH HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCCos CobCT$1.9M1
THE THEATRE LAB INCWashingtonDC$1.9M2
FIRST PUSH FOUNDATIONSanta CruzCA$1.9M0
VIRGINIA CENTER FOR THE CREATIVE ARTSAmherstVA$1.8M1
BERKS ARTS COUNCILReadingPA$1.8M2
NORTH MARKET DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY INCColumbusOH$1.8M1
THE DISCOVERY MUSEUM INCBridgeportCT$1.8M1
THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE FOUNDATIONWashingtonDC$1.8M2
Friends of Public Radio DBA WHQRWilmingtonNC$1.8M1
FURRY WEEKEND ATLANTA INCNorcrossGA$1.8M0
HEDGEBROOKLangleyWA$1.8M1
YOUTH ON RECORDDenverCO$1.8M1
Gunnison Council for the ArtsGunnisonCO$1.8M0