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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 84 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Freedom Trail Foundation IncBostonMA$1.7M1
NATIONAL VETERANS MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM FOUNDATIONColumbusOH$1.7M3
JORDAN MOTOR CAR COMPANYOrangeCA$1.7M0
MINNESOTA UNITED FOUNDATIONGolden ValleyMN$1.7M0
ASSOCIATION FOR THE COLONIAL THEATREPhoenixvillePA$1.7M1
THE DIATRIBE INCGrand RapidsMI$1.7M6
TURTLE CREEK VALLEY ARTS CORPORATIONWilmerdingPA$1.7M2
WATERING HOLE MEDIA ACTIONWashingtonDC$1.7M0
FRIENDS OF JOHN COLTRANE INCHigh PointNC$1.7M2
AMBLER THEATER INCAmblerPA$1.7M1
Boot Hill Museum IncDodge CityKS$1.7M2
DEL E WEBB CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTSWickenburgAZ$1.7M1
THE KANSAS AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM INCWichitaKS$1.7M2
THE CENTER FOR SYSTEMS AWARENESS INCNorth AndoverMA$1.7M3
THE CULTURE HOUSE INCOlatheKS$1.7M3
HERITAGE SERVICESOmahaNE$1.7M4
CLAY ART CENTER INCPort ChesterNY$1.7M1
GERMANIC-AMERICAN INSTITUTESt PaulMN$1.7M1
KENTUCKY OPERA ASSOCIATION INCLouisvilleKY$1.7M1
Glenview Stars Hockey AssociationGlenviewIL$1.7M0
CLARKSVILLE-MONTGOMERY COUNTY MUSEUMClarksvilleTN$1.7M2
TOLEDO OPERA ASSOCIATIONToledoOH$1.7M0
Our Pride Encompasses NashvilleNashvilleTN$1.7M0
Capital Stage CompanySacramentoCA$1.7M2
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF VERSAILLESChicagoIL$1.7M1
Reno Chamber Orchestra IncRenoNV$1.7M1
AMERICAN CLASSICAL LEAGUEHamiltonOH$1.7M1
Lorain Civic Center Committee IncLorainOH$1.7M1
DEJ INTERNATIONAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION INCWest HartfordCT$1.7M0
SOUTHAMPTON PLAYHOUSE INCSouthamptonNY$1.7M0
ADVOCATE MEDIA - DALLAS INCDallasTX$1.7M2
Young Audiences of Oregon Inc dba Arts for Learning NorthwestPortlandOR$1.7M1
PORTLAND THEATER PRODUCTIONSPortlandOR$1.7M1
DOWNTOWN COLUMBIA ARTS AND CULTURE COMMISSION INCColumbiaMD$1.7M1
The Park Theater TrustLafayetteCA$1.7M0
MODESTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATIONModestoCA$1.7M1
CAFFE LENA INCSaratoga SpringsNY$1.7M3
VEM USAGlendaleCA$1.7M0
Jasmine Moran Childrens Museum Foundation IncSeminoleOK$1.7M0
The Bascom CorporationHighlandsNC$1.7M2
DETROIT PUBLIC THEATREDetroitMI$1.7M3
MILAGRO FOUNDATION INCDelray BeachFL$1.7M1
NATIONAL DESERT STORM WAR MEMORIAL ASSOCIATIONWashingtonDC$1.7M1
OPERA NAPLES INCNaplesFL$1.7M4
Charleston Literary Festival IncCharlestonSC$1.7M1
THE CARNEGIE VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS CENTERCovingtonKY$1.7M1
NORTHERN CLAY CENTERMinneapolisMN$1.7M4
CYT Chicago IncCaryIL$1.7M2
THE AAMC FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$1.7M1
FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE LOUISIANELafayetteLA$1.7M1