City museums, parks and other culture centers are slicing budgets left and right, but the institutions' execs are still racking up big bonuses, the Post reported today.
Leaders at centers including the American Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Center, and the Wildlife Conservation Society all made hundreds of thousands of dollars last year, much of it in unsalaried benefits -- despite giant cuts in the institutions' funding.
American Museum of Natural History President Ellen Futter made upwards of $1 million last year. The museum, which is currently closing exhibits and ending student-aid programs in an effort to save cash, only received $16.7 million in city funding in the same time period, the Post reports.
Lincoln Center President Reynold Levy made $1.26 million, as the center cut its budget by 7 percent.
The Wildlife Conservation Society cut 120 jobs after state funding for the organization was cut 55 percent - yet CEO Steven Sanderson still managed to make more than $900,000 in salary and benefits, according to the Post.
Most of the city's funding goes toward utilities, maintenance and security, not executive pay, the Department of Cultural Affairs said.