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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 97 of 861

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
MIDWEST HONOR FLIGHT - IA & SDSioux CenterIA$1.4M1
The Theatre of Western SpringsWestern SpringsIL$1.4M1
LIEDERKRANZ FOUNDATION INCNew YorkNY$1.4M0
McColl Center for Art InnovationCharlotteNC$1.4M1
THE TANK LTDNew YorkNY$1.4M1
CURTAIN CALL INCStamfordCT$1.4M1
PUBLIC HEALTH WATCH INCAustinTX$1.4M4
Art Pride New Jersey Foundation IncBurlingtonNJ$1.4M1
freeFall Theatre IncSaint PetersburgFL$1.4M1
PREUCIL SCHOOL OF MUSICIowa CityIA$1.4M2
MUSEUM OF THE NEW SOUTH INCCharlotteNC$1.4M4
CALIFORNIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INCWalnut CreekCA$1.4M2
KANEKOOmahaNE$1.4M3
DORRANCE DANCE INCORPORATEDNew YorkNY$1.4M3
HISTORIC SARANAC LAKESaranac LakeNY$1.4M0
NA KALAI WA'AKamuelaHI$1.4M0
NEVADA CITY COMMUNITY BROADCAST GROUPNevada CityCA$1.4M0
THE WOMAN'S EXCHANGE DBA HERMANN-GRIMA GALLIER HISTORIC HOUSENew OrleansLA$1.4M1
GOVERNOR'S MANSION PRESERVATION FOUNDATION INCBaton RougeLA$1.4M0
BRUCE WOOD DANCE CO INCDallasTX$1.4M0
BEHIND THE BADGE FOUNDATIONRedmondWA$1.4M2
ARROWHEAD REGIONAL ARTS COUNCILDuluthMN$1.4M1
HONOLULU FESTIVAL FOUNDATIONHonoluluHI$1.4M0
FORT WAYNE CIVIC THEATRE INCFort WayneIN$1.4M1
Friends of the Venice Public Library IncVeniceFL$1.4M0
Chosen Vale Inc Enfield Shaker MuseumEnfieldNH$1.4M0
SERENBE ART FARM FOR ARTS AND EDUCATION CORPORATIONChattahoochee HillsGA$1.4M0
Lutcher Theater IncOrangeTX$1.4M2
THE SAWTOOTH SCHOOL FOR VISUAL ARTWinstonsalemNC$1.4M1
THE LOUISE HOPKINS UNDERWOOD CENTER FOR THE ARTSLubbockTX$1.4M1
MUSICALFARE THEATRE COMPANY INCBuffaloNY$1.4M1
PHILADELPHIA ARTS IN EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPPhiladelphiaPA$1.4M2
WORLD WAR II FOUNDATIONWakefieldRI$1.4M3
Brazosport Fine Arts Council IncCluteTX$1.4M1
WASHINGTON CONCERT OPERAWashingtonDC$1.4M1
THE URBANART COMMISSIONMemphisTN$1.4M1
METANOIA INCZacharyLA$1.4M0
FLINT HILLS DISCOVERY CENTER FOUNDATIONManhattanKS$1.4M1
PACIFIC RIM CULTURAL FOUNDATION INCWaucondaIL$1.4M0
ARTREACH INCPhiladelphiaPA$1.4M1
ELI WHITNEY MUSEUM INCHamdenCT$1.4M1
Reif Arts CouncilGrand RapidsMN$1.4M0
THE ARTS FEDERATION INCLafayetteIN$1.4M0
SAN DIEGO CENTER FOR JEWISH CULTURELa JollaCA$1.4M0
OHR-O'KEEFE MUSEUM OF ART INCBiloxiMS$1.4M1
Opera ParallleSan FranciscoCA$1.4M1
SOUTH DAKOTA HUMANITIES COUNCILBrookingsSD$1.4M0
JEWISH BOOK COUNCILNew YorkNY$1.4M1
FORWARD PERFORMING ARTS INCMadisonWI$1.4M1
SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSESierra MadreCA$1.4M1