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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 79 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
NIDO & MARIANA QUBEIN CHILDRENS MUSEUMHigh PointNC$1.8M1
GREATER PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INCPensacolaFL$1.8M0
CHORUS AMERICAWashingtonDC$1.8M1
RANDOM FARMS KIDS THEATER INCElmsfordNY$1.8M1
Mission Cultural Center For Latino ArtsSan FranciscoCA$1.8M1
THE PICTURE HOUSE REGIONAL FILM CENTER INCPelhamNY$1.8M1
Performing Arts Workshop IncSan FranciscoCA$1.8M2
Harbor FundSpanish ForkUT$1.8M0
Friends of the West Shore Theatre IncNew CumberlandPA$1.8M0
Company E IncWashingtonDC$1.8M0
THE VII FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$1.8M2
WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONYMuskegonMI$1.8M2
TRI-STATE UMIYA DHAM OF CINCINNATIMasonOH$1.8M0
PACIFIC CREST YOUTH ARTS ORGANIZATIONDiamond BarCA$1.8M1
TACA INCDallasTX$1.8M1
KALANI HONUA INCPahoaHI$1.8M2
MCCREARY COUNTY HERITAGE FOUNDATION INCStearnsKY$1.8M0
SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUMSanta BarbaraCA$1.8M1
18TH STREET ARTS COMPLEXSanta MonicaCA$1.8M1
MICRONESIAN ISLANDER COMMUNITYSalemOR$1.8M3
COMMUNITY TELEVISION INCNorcrossGA$1.8M2
MODERN QUILT GUILD INCLos AngelesCA$1.8M1
Santa Rosa Players DBA 6th Street PlayhouseSanta RosaCA$1.8M2
THE OVERTON PARK SHELL INCMemphisTN$1.8M1
FRIENDS OF THE MILITARY MUSEUM OF S FLA AT NAS RICHMOND INCMiamiFL$1.8M0
GREENVILLE THEATREGreenvilleSC$1.8M1
PRESERVATION CHICAGOChicagoIL$1.8M1
Philadelphia Dance CompanyPhiladelphiaPA$1.8M2
UKRAINIAN MUSEUMNew YorkNY$1.8M1
MAMMOTH SITE OF HOT SPRINGS SOUTH DAKOTA INCHot SpringsSD$1.8M0
Native American Community Development InstituteMinneapolisMN$1.8M2
San Jacinto Museum and Battlefield AssociationLa PorteTX$1.8M2
KOREAN CULTURAL CENTER OF CHICAGOWheelingIL$1.8M1
EVANSTON ART CENTEREvanstonIL$1.8M1
FOUR RIVERS COMMUNITY BROADCASTING CORPOHarleysvillePA$1.8M6
BEILIN-MAKAGON ART FOUNDATIONSan MateoCA$1.8M0
BOSTON MUSIC PROJECT INCBostonMA$1.8M1
GRANBURY THEATRE COMPANY INCGranburyTX$1.8M0
CAPITOL THEATRE COMMITTEEYakimaWA$1.8M1
THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM SEATTLESeattleWA$1.8M1
THE LOWELL FESTIVAL FOUNDATIONLowellMA$1.8M0
NEW VILLAGE ARTS INCCarlsbadCA$1.8M4
SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE DUQUESNE HEIGHTS INCLINEPittsburghPA$1.8M0
OPUS DANCE THEATRE & COMMUNITY SERVICES INCNew YorkNY$1.8M1
FORNEY MUSEUMDenverCO$1.8M1
STEAM INTO HISTORY INCNew FreedomPA$1.8M1
MIAMI DESIGN PRESERVATION LEAGUE INCMiami BeachFL$1.8M3
JOURNEY THROUGH HALLOWED GROUND PARTNERSHIPLeesburgVA$1.8M2
FIRSTWORKSProvidenceRI$1.8M1
VOCALESSENCEMinneapolisMN$1.8M4