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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 808 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
FREDERICKTOWN AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETYFredericktownOH$7k0
BARKSDALE GLOBAL POWER MUSEUM ASSOCIATION INCShreveportLA$7k1
SIDELINES & STAGES FOUNDATION INCMaplewoodNJ$7k0
TELLURIDE AND MOUNTAIN VILLAGE MEDIA FOUNDATION INCDelray BeachFL$7k0
ARLINGTON HIGHLAND GAMES INCMcKinneyTX$7k0
WINDSONG PICTURES INCFort WayneIN$7k0
MESA VERDE MISSIONFountain ValleyCA$7k0
BUILDING BRIDGES PRODUCTIONS LLCLynchburgVA$7k0
THE YELLOW FRAME PROJECTFort WayneIN$7k0
SVENSK HYLLNINGSFEST FOUNDATIONLindsborgKS$7k0
COMMON THREADS MUSIC AND CRAFT INCMedfordMA$7k0
HEARTLAND JAZZ ORCHESTRA FOUNDATIONBloomingtonIL$7k1
Athziry Dia De Muertos NFPAuroraIL$7k0
YVAR MIKHASHOFF TRUST FOR NEW MUSIC C/O AMY WILLIAMSPittsburghPA$7k1
THE BURNS SOCIETY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORKNew YorkNY$7k0
FRIENDS OF THE CANTO CHORALEFarleyMO$7k0
FRIENDS OF GREENFIELD DANCE INCGreenfieldMA$7k0
BOSTON-STRASBOURG SISTER CITY ASSOCIATION INCRoslindaleMA$7k0
GRACE SONG INCHoustonTX$7k1
PENINSULA COMMUNITY CHORUSGig HarborWA$7k0
HUGO BLACK MEMORIAL LIBRARY FUND INCAshlandAL$7k0
PORTLAND METRO PIPE BANDLake OswegoOR$7k0
ART HELPING LIFE INCOyster BayNY$7k0
HAMILTON ARTS FOUNDATION INCSan RafaelCA$7k0
IVOIRE ADEBA INCNew YorkNY$7k0
VARASIDDHIManvelTX$7k0
THE BOROUGH FOUNDATIONSumterSC$7k0
AMERICAN LEGION RIDERS POST 569MilanIL$7k0
1 Hour Party IncBostonMA$7k0
POETS OF AHI AL-BAIT CULTURAL LEAGUE INCDearbornMI$7k0
QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERS INCCentrevilleMD$7k0
SPEAK ON IT ACT ON ITManchesterMD$7k0
Bold Giving Foundation IncSeattleWA$7k0
GAELIC HIGHLAND PIPE BANDMilfordCT$7k0
MALAMUT AUTO MUSEUM & HOLDINGS FOUNDATIONThousand OaksCA$7k0
EAGLE LAKE DEPOTEagle LakeTX$7k0
CLAY RADIO ONLINE INCOrange ParkFL$7k0
HAZARA FOUNDATIONDenverCO$7k0
HEALDSBURG COMMUNITY BANDHealdsburgCA$7k0
INSPIRE THE FIRE INCCharlotteNC$7k2
MUSICAL ARTISTS THEATER INCORPORATEDBaltimoreMD$7k0
I DO Music IncAtlantaGA$7k0
THE WRIGHT FOUNDATION FOR SOUTHERN ARTFlorenceSC$7k0
Oakland Golf Course Preservation Foundation IncOaklandNE$7k0
ARRANMORE CENTER FOR THE ARTS DBA ARRANMORE ARTSNapervilleIL$7k0
NASSAU PERFORMING ARTSINCUniondaleNY$7k0
CPL JACOB MADDEN FOUNDATIONFlorissantMO$7k0
THE COLMAR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY HISTORICAL SOCIETY LLCTelfordPA$7k0
Christina Hassell & Watters O Martin Jr Family FoundationHonoluluHI$7k0
MOUNT PLEASANT AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETYMount PleasantPA$7k0