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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 836 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
BENTON COUNTY VETERANS MEMORIAL INCHolladayTN$3k0
CELEBRATING NEBRASKA STATEHOOD INCOmahaNE$3k0
CULTURE X COMMUNITY INCAshlandMA$3k0
EN LA BREGA ART FOUNDATION INCQuebradillasPR$3k0
Franklin Theatre WorksAnnandaleNJ$3k0
GRACE CHOIR INCLake WorthFL$3k0
HOLLYWOOD VINYL DISTRICTLos AngelesCA$3k0
Movement Arts Cape Cod IncWellfleetMA$3k0
Nicus Spoon IncGouldsboroPA$3k0
Ninegrid Culture Foundation IncFlushingNY$3k0
Pointed HeartsSeattleWA$3k0
The God Mothers TouchNoviMI$3k0
The Leroy Satchel Paige Family Home Corp IncKansas CityMO$3k0
WARLICK WORKERS LEGACY FOUNDATIONWashingtonDC$3k0
WE ALL MATTER INCLaguna BeachCA$3k0
LATIN-AMERICAN CINEMATECA OF LOS ANGELESLos AngelesCA$2k0
WILLIAM B TUFTS TRUST CWisconsin RapidsWI$2k1
Kingdom Connections Ministries IncWhitehallNY$2k0
PRELUDE CHAMBER ENSEMBLEBurkeVA$2k0
Friends of the Loew's IncJersey CityNJ$2k2
The Soles for SoulsDavenportFL$2k0
TEXAS SOCIETY FOR MUSIC THEORYHoustonTX$2k0
Compass IllustrationsVirginia BchVA$2k0
Friends of Fort Towson IncFort TowsonOK$2k0
YESHIVA HAKAYITZ OF DETROITSouthfieldMI$2k1
HTH TOURISM THRU MUSIC INCAuburnNY$2k0
The Hidden Room TheatreAustinTX$2k1
THE ROSE PETROFF FOUNDATIONFair Oaks RanchTX$2k0
GERMAN AMERICAN CLUB OF THE NORTHERN CATSKILLSMargaretvilleNY$2k0
ANIOMA ASSOCIATION USABaton RougeLA$2k0
Dream Factory Sound SanctuaryAlpineCA$2k0
BRAVE NEW INSTITUTEDeephavenMN$2k0
Helena Historical SocietyHelenaOK$2k0
NEW HAMPSHIRE ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS PIPES AND DRUMSManchesterNH$2k0
MOSSYROCK AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETYMossyrockWA$2k0
Caribbean Cultural Heritage Alliance InHartfordCT$2k0
NORTH AMERICAN TRAP COLLECTORS MUSEUM INCGallowayOH$2k0
JOHN J WRIGHT EDUCATIONAL & CULTURAL MUSEUM INCSpotsylvaniaVA$2k0
ERIC AND JULA ISENBURGER SOCIETYEdisto BeachSC$2k0
SHARING CIRCLE FOUNDATIONKatyTX$2k0
OLD MEMPHIS PRESERVATION SOCIETYBroadwayNC$2k0
TRINIDADDIO BLUES FEST INCTrinidadCO$2k0
Share Your Wealth For Humanity-LtdNapervilleIL$2k0
George Walton Chapter Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution IncMonroeGA$2k0
STEPPING STONE THEATERChicagoIL$2k3
SANDY HOOK HISTORIC BRIDGE FOUNDATION INCColumbiaTN$2k0
REFUSING TO FORGETChicagoIL$2k0
Wakefield Lakeside Concert BandWakefieldMA$2k0
ALLIANCE OF MODERN PET PROFESSIONALSCarnegiePA$2k0
B IDEN PAYNE AWARDS COUNCILAustinTX$2k0