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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 802 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
WISCONSIN MALAYALEE ASSOCIATION INCOak CreekWI$9k0
PUFFERBELLY JUNCTION INCFort WayneIN$9k0
NESHAMINY VALLEY MUSIC THEATRELanghornePA$9k0
ELIOT NOYES CENTER INCBrooklineMA$9k0
EVERGREEN BALVIHARFolsomCA$9k0
MONDAY MUSICAL CLUB INCSt JosephMI$9k0
C H MASON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY ALUMNI ASSOC INCAtlantaGA$9k0
THE YES BUS CAMPSanta MonicaCA$9k0
ELIZABETH L LAWRENCE FOUNDATION INCFalls ChurchVA$9k0
EASTWEST ART CULTURE & EDUCATION CENTERElk GroveCA$9k0
IOWA CHORAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION ENDOWMWashingtonIA$9k0
Trinbago Association of Central FloridaOrlandoFL$9k0
CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME MEDICAL MISSIONSugar LandTX$9k0
Chicago Wind SymphonyChicagoIL$9k0
The Holy TheatreUnion CityNJ$9k0
ART IRON FOUNDATIONToledoOH$9k0
HISTORIC BOYDTON'S RENAISSANCE INCBoydtonVA$9k0
WARMIS Y KARYS FOUNDATIONWhittierCA$9k0
KALAMAZOO ART LEAGUEKalamazooMI$9k0
EAST TEXAS ARTS & WELLNESSKilgoreTX$9k1
WORLD LEBANESE CULTURAL UNION INCStaten IslandNY$9k0
NORTH ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT FOUNDATIONAnaheimCA$9k0
GRASS ROOTS ANTIQUE TOOL MUSEUMNevada CityCA$9k0
Hit Like A Girl IncStudio CityCA$9k0
WEST SACRAMENTO CITY HISTORICAL SOCIETYWest SacranentoCA$9k0
STUDIO ATAOLos AngelesCA$9k1
SAM FOLTZ FOUNDATION INCGrand IslandNE$9k0
PRESENTERS OF LIVING HISTORYPort OrchardWA$9k0
MUSIC HALL REVITALIZATION COMPANY INCCincinnatiOH$9k0
UNCHAINED MOTHERING INCMiamiFL$9k0
THE FIEGER ARTS FOUNDATIONSouthfieldMI$9k0
MADISON AREA CHINESE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION INCMadisonWI$9k0
MANUS CHRISTI UNO ANIMO UNO CORDEPanorama CityCA$9k0
African American Historical SocietyPortsmouthVA$9k0
LIBRE CARBONDALE FOOD AUTONOMYCarbondaleIL$9k0
CRACKED POT STUDIO TOURWilliamstonMI$9k0
HAM PRODUCTIONS INC C/O MICHAEL AND HEIDI LEESanta ClaraUT$9k0
Machol MerkazWilmetteIL$9k0
MEHRYAR LIMITEDLas VegasNV$9k0
NANCY TOPF INSTITUTE INCNew YorkNY$9k0
RIVER DISTRICT EVENTS INC C/O JEFFREY D GIGNACDanvilleVA$9k0
THE LABAX FOUNDATIONSanta Rosa ValleyCA$9k0
AMATI FOUNDATIONLas VegasNV$8k0
FORT MACARTHUR MUSEUM ASSOCSan PedroCA$8k0
ASIAN AMERICAN ALLIANCE IN SOUTH JERSEYCherry HillNJ$8k0
ETHNIKOS KYRIX NATIONAL HERALD FOUNDATIONLong Island CityNY$8k0
WRIGHT IMAGE GROUP INCEnglewoodOH$8k0
UNITY PERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATIONChattanoogaTN$8k0
HENRY CLAY YERGER HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUMHopeAR$8k0
RANCHO FOLCLORICO A EIRA DE NEWARKNewarkNJ$8k0