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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 94 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
ZEIDERS AMERICAN DREAM THEATERVirginia BeachVA$1.5M0
TYBEE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCTybee IslandGA$1.5M1
KAATSBAAN INTERNATIONAL DANCE CENTER INCTivoliNY$1.5M1
SALT OF THE EARTH FOUNDATIONSioux FallsSD$1.5M0
Performing Arts Center IncHighlandsNC$1.5M2
Community Performing Arts Ctr Foundation IncGreen ValleyAZ$1.5M0
SOUTHERN DOCUMENTARY FUNDBurlingtonNC$1.5M1
Shakori Hills Community Arts Center IncPittsboroNC$1.5M2
VIRGINIA COMMEMORATIONS INCRichmondVA$1.5M1
NEW ERA CULTURE & EDUCATION CENTER INCMiramarFL$1.5M0
WISCONSIN MARITIME MUSEUM INCManitowocWI$1.5M2
BALLET ARTS FOUNDATIONTucsonAZ$1.5M1
CAMELOT THEATRE COMPANYTalentOR$1.5M1
LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE INCWilmingtonDE$1.5M2
ESSEX NATIONAL HERITAGE COMMISSION INCSalemMA$1.5M1
ARTMIX INCIndianapolisIN$1.5M1
HILLBARN THEATRE INCSan MateoCA$1.5M1
THE TAMPA BAY HISTORY CENTER FOUNDATION INCTampaFL$1.5M2
THE DOWNTOWN ARTS THEATER INCWoosterOH$1.5M1
CYARKOaklandCA$1.5M3
THE ARTS COUNCIL OF THE SOUTHERN FINGER LAKES INCCorningNY$1.5M1
Aviation Heritage Foundation IncDaytonOH$1.5M1
AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICAL SOCIETY INCNew YorkNY$1.5M1
Indiana Latino Institute IncIndianapolisIN$1.5M2
AKATSan FranciscoCA$1.5M0
FOWLERVILLE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETYFowlervilleMI$1.5M0
THE FRANCIS J GREENBURGER FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$1.5M0
The Playwrights RealmNew YorkNY$1.5M1
CHI NAN UNIVERSITY ALUMNI OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAHacienda HeightsCA$1.5M0
THE H E ART PROJECT dba ARTWORXLALos AngelesCA$1.5M2
ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRARoanokeVA$1.5M2
THE 1882 HOUSE FOUNDATION INCChestnut HillMA$1.5M0
Akron History CenterAkronOH$1.5M0
EAST MS CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INCMeridianMS$1.5M1
PACIFIC ARTS MOVEMENTSan DiegoCA$1.5M1
BERGSTROM-MAHLER MUSEUM INCNeenahWI$1.5M1
ABBEVILLE FOUNDATIONAbbevilleAL$1.5M0
STUART AIR SHOW INCStuartFL$1.5M0
JEFFERSON EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY OF ERIE INCEriePA$1.5M1
THE OPERA ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL OHIOColumbusOH$1.5M1
San Francisco Performances IncSan FranciscoCA$1.5M3
Musical Bridges Around the World IncSan AntonioTX$1.5M1
THE MARTHA GRAHAM SCHOOL OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE INCNew YorkNY$1.5M4
GLOBAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND ARTSMountain ViewCA$1.5M0
PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY INCIndianapolisIN$1.5M1
COLUMBUS CHILDREN'S THEATREColumbusOH$1.5M1
Art4LifePortlandOR$1.5M1
STOUTSBURG SOURLAND AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUMHopewellNJ$1.5M2
FLOYD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYCharles CityIA$1.5M0
New Urban ArtsProvidenceRI$1.5M0