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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Creative Alliance Manitou Springs

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 204276106
CO · NTEE A26
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Audrey Gray, Executive Director / CEO ($2,800) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 20 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 10th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Audrey Gray — reported title “VICE CHAIR”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

20 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 20 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$919 total compensation of comparable organizations → $102,291 $2,800
$4,83810th
$17,87325th
$45,349Median
$59,40575th
$69,95590th
$2,800This org · 10th
p10$4,838
p25$17,873
p50$45,349
p75$59,405
p90$69,955
$2,800

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to CO cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateRevenueMatched titleComp
(reported)
Comp
(adjusted)
FY
Emerald Empire Art Association Inc OR$131,982 Director $5,344 $5,176 2023
Transylvania Community Arts Council NC$130,060 Executive Director $58,750 $61,491 2024
Greater Rochester Arts And Cultural Trust MN$125,170 Ceo $15,007 $15,020 2024
Asbury Park Arts Council Inc NJ$123,192 Secretary/ex $77,140 $69,767 2024
Fresno Ideaworks CA$119,866 Secretary Jan- Jun $1,020 $919 2023
Arizona Citizens For The Arts AZ$170,457 Ceo $105,000 $102,291 2024
Hammond Cultural Foundation Inc LA$171,408 Executive Di $47,515 $52,999 2024
Chambersburg Area Council For The PA$105,989 Executive Director $30,530 $30,840 2024
Southeast Texas Arts Council Inc TX$183,951 Exec Directo $50,000 $52,160 2023
Cahiers D'art Institute NY$184,633 Secretary And Treasurer $20,000 $18,307 2024
Southern Hills Arts Council OH$97,274 Director Of Operations $15,000 $16,569 2023
Starkville Area Arts Council MS$196,421 Executive Director $46,200 $53,662 2023
The Compound Inc MD$203,675 Treasurer $1,846 $1,800 2023
Arts Council Of Southwestern Indiana Inc IN$204,241 Executive Director $61,790 $66,006 2024
The Staunton Augusta Art Center Inc VA$204,331 Interim Exec $33,987 $34,223 2023
Theatre League Of South Florida Inc FL$204,432 Executive Director $40,498 $38,538 2024
Artspartners Of Central Illinois Inc IL$207,717 Executive Director $71,945 $71,647 2024
Cooperstown Art Association Inc NY$210,929 Executive Direc $62,300 $58,710 2023
Johnston County Arts Council Inc NC$212,629 Executive Di $52,800 $53,839 2025
Chinese American Arts Council NY$213,969 Executive Director $39,180 $36,922 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to CO cost of living and 2023 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to CO cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default10th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)10th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted10th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted10th

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Audrey Gray) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 20 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A26), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $2,800 is reasonable (approximately the 10th percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.