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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 783 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
TRINACRIA THEATRE COMPANYWalthamMA$13k0
WESTERN HAMPDEN HISTORICAL SOCIETYWestfieldMA$13k0
NOSTALGIA VINTAGE AUTO MUSEUMSan JoseCA$13k0
ILLINOIS STORYTELLING FESTIVAL INCOak ParkIL$13k0
SOCIETY INC SUPPORTING THE ARTS HARBOR CITY MARYLAND CHAPTERLargoMD$13k0
LOWER BLACK CREEK CHURCH FOUNDATION INCBrookletGA$13k0
PRINCETON LANDING BENGALI CLUBPrincetonNJ$13k0
NORTH LITTLE ROCK BAND BOOSTERNorth Little RockAR$13k0
PAMLICO COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION INCGrantsboroNC$13k0
MATHESON MUSIC FOUNDATION INCMesaAZ$13k0
SHEPHERDS HEARTBEAT-INCNewarkDE$13k0
TRIUMPH SAILS INCSouth OrleansMA$13k0
AMERICAN ABSTRACT ARTISTS INCBrewsterNY$13k0
CHAVERIM118PhiladelphiaPA$13k0
FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT FOUNDATION INCCambridgeMA$13k0
CASE STUDIES OF CHINESE LANGUAGE REFORMERSPalo AltoCA$13k0
DRAMATIC ALLIED ARTS GUILD OF LBLong BeachCA$13k0
HAWAII JOURNALISM INITIATIVEKahuluiHI$13k0
ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS GAROGOYLE PIPES AND DRUMSSuffernNY$13k0
CALIFORNIA TROLLEY & RAILROAD CORPORATIONSan JoseCA$13k0
PANMEGARIAN SOCIETY OF AMERICA BYZASBrooklynNY$13k0
CIO PARTNERSSalt Lake CityUT$13k0
International VR Professionals AssnLake ElsinoreCA$13k0
FBWA FOUNDATIONHonoluluHI$13k0
DELPHOS VETERANS COUNCIL INCDelphosOH$13k0
FOUR FRESHMEN MUSIC FOUNDATION INCNew CanaanCT$13k0
CAPE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRAHarwichMA$13k0
WATSEKA SHOW CHOIR BOOSTERS INCWatsekaIL$13k0
KOREA ARTS FOUNDATION OF AMERICALos AngelesCA$13k0
THE FEARLESS THEATER COMPANY LTDBrooklynNY$13k0
Ozone Music Education Foundation IncPearl RiverLA$13k0
HAPPY HEALTHY FOUNDATIONPalo AltoCA$13k0
CENTER FOR DESIGN ENGAGEMENT INCHolyokeMA$13k0
KYANA REGION ANTIQUE AUTO CLUBLouisvilleKY$13k0
Central Florida Indian Cultural Association IncOrlandoFL$13k0
CHINESE AMERICAN FORUM INCSeattleWA$13k0
Branson ChoraleBransonMO$13k0
LUMINE EDUCupertinoCA$13k0
HISTORIC COAST PEARLS INCSt AugustineFL$13k0
CARLISLE CO MUSEUM BOARD INCBardwellKY$13k0
Empowering Youth Full Circle IncDeer ParkNY$13k0
FRIENDS OF SMYTH CHAPEL INCMeadowviewVA$13k0
CALIFORNIA HETHUSHKASacramentoCA$13k0
Artisttree Inc-NfpHighland ParkIL$13k0
EBENEZER BRYCE FOUNDATIONPimaAZ$13k0
COMUNIDAD COLOMBIANA LOWELL INCLowellMA$13k0
DRAMA DOGS BOOSTER CLUBNederlandTX$13k0
Jacksonville Motorsports Hall of Fame IncJacksonvilleFL$13k0
PROBOSCIS THEATRE COMPANYChicagoIL$13k0
Flint Hills Counterpoint IncPeabodyKS$13k0