Nonprofit Arts & Culture CFO Salary in North Dakota

Official IRS Form 990 Schedule J compensation benchmarks for CFO positions across arts & culture 501(c)(3) nonprofits in North Dakota (with annual budgets between $3M – $5M). Based on 32 matched filings for IRS § 4958 safe harbor compliance.

25th Percentile
$104,139
Lower Bound
Median (50th %)
$105,504
Market Consensus
75th Percentile
$107,085
Safe Harbor Ceiling
Matched Peer Group
32 Filings
IRS Verified Peers
Filter Peer Group
Empirical Market Analysis · North Dakota
Census Division: West North Central

At $105,504, the median CFO compensation for North Dakota nonprofits in the $3M – $5M operating band sits 26.9% below the national benchmark ($144,400), reflecting regional cost-of-labor variations in the West North Central division. Matched peer filings establish an interquartile safe harbor range between $104,139 (25th percentile) and $107,085 (75th percentile).

Across this 32-organization peer group, median executive remuneration accounts for 3% of total organizational operating expenditures (interquartile peer range: 3% – 3%). Base salary represents an average of 85% of total compensation, with performance incentives reported by 100% of reporting institutions (averaging $5,663 among participating organizations).

Interquartile Safe Harbor Distribution

Treasury Regulation § 53.4958-6(c)(2) Rebuttable Presumption Bandwidth

32 Verified Filings
P10$103,267
P25 (Safe Min)$104,139
Median (50th)$105,504
P75 (Safe Max)$107,085
P90$160,472
Legal Precedent: To secure the IRS Rebuttable Presumption of Reasonableness, tax-exempt governing boards must establish that approved compensation falls within market comparability bounds prior to voting. Compensation between the 25th and 75th percentiles ($104,139 – $107,085) represents the defensible interquartile standard accepted by federal regulators.

Schedule J Pay-Mix Distribution

Average component allocation across Form 990 Part VII Section A & Schedule J Part II extracts

32 Matched Filings
Base Salary
$96,274
85% of total remuneration
Bonus & Incentive
$5,663
100% peer participation
Deferred Comp
$5,663
100% peer participation
Nontaxable Benefits
$5,663
100% peer coverage
Sample Size32 Matched Filings
Average Budget$3,971,016
Pay-to-Budget Ratio3% (3%–3%)
IRS Filing Vintage2022–2025 XML Extracts

Matched Form 990 Peer Organizations

Sample peer group entries matched by budget, NTEE taxonomy, and geographic cost-of-labor

Showing 3 of 32 peers
EAU CLAIRE CONFLUENCE ARTS INC
EIN: 471799805 • Metro Area, WI • Budget: $3,956,111
$1••,•••
Schedule J Locked
IN Heritage & Arts Trust 5
EIN: 010000305 • Metro City, IN • Budget: $4,045,810
$1••,•••
Schedule J Locked
INDIANAPOLIS ART CENTER INC
EIN: 351088735 • Metro Area, IN • Budget: $4,046,503
$1••,•••
Schedule J Locked

Access All 32 Matched Peer Filings

Generate the full, audit-ready 8-page Board Compliance Packet including individual peer line-item disclosures (Base, Bonus, Deferred, Benefits), statutory citations, and turnkey board minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the typical salary for a CFO at a North Dakota nonprofit with $3M – $5M?

Based on 32 verified IRS Form 990 Schedule J filings in North Dakota, the median total compensation for a CFO is $105,504. The 25th percentile sits at $104,139 and the 75th percentile (the rebuttable safe harbor ceiling) is $107,085.

How does North Dakota CFO pay compare to national averages?

At $105,504, median CFO compensation in North Dakota is 26.9% lower than the national baseline ($144,400) for comparable operating budgets, consistent with economic indices in the West North Central division.

What percentage of operating budget should a 501(c)(3) spend on its CFO?

Across matched peer filings for $3M – $5M nonprofits, median CFO compensation represents 3% of total organizational operating expenses. The middle 50% of peer institutions allocate between 3% and 3% of expenditures to executive leadership.

How does Treasury Regulation § 53.4958-6 protect board members approving executive compensation?

Under Treasury Regulation § 53.4958-6, tax-exempt governing boards secure the Rebuttable Presumption of Reasonableness when they rely on independent comparability data from similarly situated peer organizations prior to voting and record the decision contemporaneously in their minutes. Once established, the legal burden shifts to the IRS to prove that compensation was excessive.