Skip to main content
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 87 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
Schnormeier Gardens FoundationMount VernonOH$1.6M0
BILLINGS SYMPHONY SOCIETYBillingsMT$1.6M1
FLORIDA ARTS INCFort MyersFL$1.6M1
SOUTHERN HIGHLAND HANDICRAFT GUILDAshevilleNC$1.6M0
SHIFT DESIGN INCNew OrleansLA$1.6M0
Beverly Arts Center of ChicagoChicagoIL$1.6M1
CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY OF WASHINGTONWashingtonDC$1.6M2
LATINO LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS FOUNDATIONLong BeachCA$1.6M0
A BLADE OF GRASS FUNDLong Island CityNY$1.6M8
THE SPORTS MUSEUM OF NEW ENGLAND INCBostonMA$1.6M0
COUNTY THEATER INCDoylestownPA$1.6M0
MUSEUM OF DESIGN-ATLANTA INCAtlantaGA$1.6M1
PUBLIC MEDIA VENTURE GROUPBoulderCO$1.6M1
YAKIMA VALLEY MUSEUM & HISTORICAL ASSOCYakimaWA$1.6M1
NEXT GENERATIONS OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS INCWest Palm BeachFL$1.6M3
TRANSPORT GROUP INC DBA TRANSPORT GROUP THEATRE COMPANYNew YorkNY$1.6M2
STRATTON MOUNTAIN & VALLEY COMMUNITY BENEFIT FOUNDATION INCStratton MountainVT$1.6M0
THE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION INCWashingtonDC$1.6M2
NEW ORLEANS AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF ART CULTURE AND HISTORYNew OrleansLA$1.6M1
HATTILOO THEATREMemphisTN$1.6M1
Loveland High Plains Arts CouncilLovelandCO$1.6M0
THE FRONT PORCH CVILLECharlottesvilleVA$1.6M0
QUEEN SOFIA SPANISH INSTITUTE INCNew YorkNY$1.6M2
ASSOCIATION OF KANNADA KOOTAS OF AMERICA INCHightownNJ$1.6M0
Kennedy Heights Arts CenterCincinnatiOH$1.6M1
Dancing Classrooms IncNew YorkNY$1.6M1
SOUTHWESTERN ASSOCIATION FOR INDIAN INDIAN ARTS INCSanta FeNM$1.6M1
ROOTEAD ENRICHMENT CENTERKalamazooMI$1.6M1
CHURCH STREET SCHOOL FOR MUSIC AND ARTNew YorkNY$1.6M2
NEW YORK STAGE AND FILM INCNew YorkNY$1.6M2
Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad IncNoblesvilleIN$1.6M1
MUSEUM OF SONOMA COUNTYSanta RosaCA$1.6M1
BOISE ART MUSEUM INCBoiseID$1.6M1
THE INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO INCLos AngelesCA$1.6M2
READING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATIONReadingPA$1.6M1
The Art House 360VeronaWI$1.6M2
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF WEST VCharlestonWV$1.6M0
MOSAIC YOUTH THEATRE OF DETROITDetroitMI$1.6M1
The Spaulding Wooden Boat CenterSausalitoCA$1.6M0
MILITARY AVIATION MUSEUMVirginia BeachVA$1.6M1
The Christian Chronicle IncOklahoma CityOK$1.6M1
Austin Steam Train AssociationCedar ParkTX$1.6M1
CHAMPAIGN AVIATION MUSEUMUrbanaOH$1.6M0
Erie County Historical SocietyEriePA$1.6M1
THE REBUILD FOUNDATION NFPChicagoIL$1.6M1
SFF PRESENTSSistersOR$1.6M2
CAROLINA THEATRE OF GREENSBORO INCGreensboroNC$1.6M1
HONOR FLIGHT COLUMBUS INCColumbusOH$1.6M1
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$1.6M1
Indianapolis Opera CompanyIndianapolisIN$1.6M1