Skip to main content
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 789 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
GOLDEN STARS LA CASA DE LA CULTURAJolietIL$12k0
THE BRIGHT FOUNDATION INCDoralFL$12k0
FRIENDS OF MOUNT HOPE CEMETERYNorth AttleboroMA$12k0
THE BRIDGE AND THE TUNNEL CORPOrangeNJ$12k0
THE PAUL RUDOLPH FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$12k0
POTTSVILLE AREA MUSIC ENDOWMENTSchuylkill HavenPA$11k0
Carrington Foundation for Public ArtFair OaksCA$11k0
The Stone Map and Atlas FoundationWilmingtonDE$11k0
FRIENDS OF WIRTANEN PIONEER FARMMakinenMN$11k0
DRUK FOUNDATION FOR ART PRESERVATIONDeKalbIL$11k0
BUCYRUS COPPER KETTLE WORKS MUSEUM INCBucyrusOH$11k0
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FIRE MUSEUMCaryIL$11k0
THE CONTINENTAL LINE INCAstonPA$11k0
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF VIETNAMESE AMERICAN LEADERS OF GREATER DCWashington DcDC$11k0
COON CREEK COUNTRY DAYS INCHampshireIL$11k0
North Coast Brass IncEriePA$11k0
THE BOSTON WOODWIND SOCIETY INCLexingtonMA$11k0
WISCONSIN POLKA BOOSTER INCWauwatosaWI$11k4
SACRAMENTO CENTER FOR THE TEXTILE ARTSSacramentoCA$11k0
Marianne Oberg Foundation for Spiritual ArtCharlotteNC$11k0
WARRIORS ART ROOMEasthamptonMA$11k0
QUABBIN ART ASSOCIATION INCBelchertownMA$11k0
COMMUNITY STRONG CORPEdgewaterFL$11k0
ROBERT & LOIS SHAPIRO FAMILY FOUNDATIONSatellite BeachFL$11k0
Project Moves Dance Company IncBrocktonMA$11k0
ANNE GORDON AND JOHN J CZURA FOUNDATION INCGrovetownGA$11k0
DEPARTMENT OF AFRO-AMERICAN RESEARCH ARTS AND CULTUREHigh PointNC$11k1
HARMONY OF MUSIC AND ART SCHOOL INCWhite PlainsNY$11k0
NEWCOMERSTOWN MUSIC BOOSTERSNewcomerstownOH$11k0
Historic Amusement Rides Preservation Inc Allan Herschell CoNorth TonawandaNY$11k0
LONG ISLAND COMPANIES THIRD NEW YORK REGIMENT PROVINCIAL FORCES INCHampton BaysNY$11k0
PIEDMONT SILVER EAGLES INCJamestownNC$11k0
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS ENTERTAINMENTLe RoyNY$11k0
AFRICAN-AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATERDallasTX$11k0
GERMAN AMERICAN SOCIETY ARTS ASSOCIATION ENDOWMENT TRUSTTulsaOK$11k0
NISEI WAR MEMORIAL COMMUNITY CENTER INCSacramentoCA$11k0
Exit Dance Theatre IncNewburyportMA$11k0
JIM-REE AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUMElbertonGA$11k0
FERN DELL HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONNewarkIL$11k0
HAI-HUA COMMUNITY CENTER INCORPORATEDViennaVA$11k0
ZIKARON HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION INCBerlinMD$11k0
Solovei Music and Arts FoundationWoodinvilleWA$11k0
LANSFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETYLansfordPA$11k0
Cultural Findings IncQuincyMA$11k1
KALPULLI EHECACOATLWatsonvilleCA$11k0
Los Angeles County Fire Department Asian Pacific Islander AssociationLos AngelesCA$11k0
LAUGHTER ARTS FOUNDATION INCMiddle RiverMD$11k0
MOUNT VERNON PRESERVATION SOCIETYUnionSC$11k0
PONCE LIRICO CORPPoncePR$11k0
American Classical Music Hall of FameCincinnatiOH$11k0