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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 850 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
JARIS REED GROUPSaint LouisMO$9500
ASENTU RITES OF PASSAGE INSTITUEBuckeyeAZ$9460
Silvana Magdas Viva Brazil Dance Co IncNew YorkNY$9370
BERKS RADIO ASSOCIATIONLenhartsvillePA$9360
Titcombs of HawaiiKiheiHI$9320
THE SAARINEN FOUNDATIONGrosse Pointe FarmsMI$9200
THE JONES FOUNDATION INCGreenwichCT$9170
J Merrill Foundation IncColumbusOH$9090
DAVID MERRICK ARTS FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$9080
COURTLAND HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONCourtlandAL$9070
Allan Houser FoundationSanta FeNM$9050
WOODWIND MELODIES INCAlpineNJ$9050
World Music DevelopmentAlmaCO$9040
BEAUTIFUL WALKING CLUB FOR PARKINSONS PREVENTIONIrvineCA$9000
BEYOND THE BALLET BARRE INCWashingtonDC$9000
EDGEWATER ARTISTS IN MOTIONChicagoIL$9000
MAYET INCSmyrnaGA$9000
PINTO ART INCNew YorkNY$9000
Service Through Entertainment Art and Music International STEAM IntlAltadenaCA$9000
THE BARNS MUSEUMMarcusIA$9000
ST KILIANS VETERANS RECOGNITION COMMITTEERichland CenterWI$8990
VIRGINIA STATE POLICE MUSEUM AND LEARNING CENTER INCGladstoneVA$8930
OUTWRIGHT PRODUCTIONSPortlandOR$8910
HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD ENHANCEMENT ALLIANCE INCNew YorkNY$8900
MANOUCHER YEKTAI FOUNDATION INCSag HarborNY$8890
CUMBERLAND VALLEY 21 DAY RETREAT ORGANIZATIONChambersburgPA$8860
The Underground Railroad Center of Columbia PAColumbiaPA$8860
APPALACHIA BOOK COMPANYLowmansvilleKY$8850
NYC MUSLIM-JEWISH SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE INCNewburghNY$8850
GENEVA COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERS CLUBHartfordAL$8820
NATIONAL ROAD INTERPRETIVE CENTER IN VANDALIA IL INCVandaliaIL$8820
WOW COMMUNITY EVENTS INCMiltonFL$8790
Stewards of the Arts INCNorcrossGA$8760
DIVERSE ADVOCACY FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTSCranstonRI$8750
CHICAGO DANCE INSTITUTEHarwood HeightsIL$8720
EDWARD COLLINS FUND FOR AMERICAN MUSIC C/O SEDGWICK ADVISERS LLCArlington Heights IlIL$8720
FRIENDS OF THE SHRINE OF THE SACRED HEART INCBaltimoreMD$8720
THE MALEVICH SOCIETY CO HERRICK FEINSTEIN LLPATN LARRY KAYENew YorkNY$8721
Tacoma Calligraphy GuildBuckleyWA$8710
Friends of TabelotSan DiegoCA$8700
WHITEHALL COMMUNITY CELEBRATION ASSOCIATIONColumbusOH$8660
PLAVE GUCI FOUNDATIONBronxNY$8620
Arts For The Homeless FoundationSeattleWA$8610
MUSEUM OPERATING COMPANYLiberalKS$8500
ZOGRAF STRINGS QUARTERLYAndoverMA$8500
SWEET SPRINGS HISTORICAL SOCIETYSweet SpringsMO$8460
HISTORY RESEARCH PROJECTSHoustonTX$8400
CAVERN ROCKNROLL MUSEUM INCSarasotaFL$8380
PRESERVE AMERICAS MUSIC FOUNDATION INCAtlantic BchFL$8360
DANCING FOR A CAUSE INCCumberlandRI$8350