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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

American Institute Of Iranian Studies

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 237004865
NY · NTEE Q220
FY ending 2023-09-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Erica Ehrenberg, Executive Director / CEO ($53,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 572 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 52nd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

572 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 572 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$747 total compensation of comparable organizations → $272,894 $53,000
$10,93410th
$25,44325th
$50,760Median
$79,34875th
$108,63390th
$53,000This org · 52nd
p10$10,934
p25$25,443
p50$50,760
p75$79,348
p90$108,633
$53,000

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 NY cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
Academic Foundation For InternationalCA $263,648$92,818 990
Childrens Rescue Mission IncCT $263,676$74,708 990
The Holiness Pilgrim Church IncIN $263,468$5,301 990
Star Of Hope International America IncKS $263,394$68,979 990
Troup Family Ministries IncTX $263,285$16,129 990
The Charis ProjectCA $263,271$22,276 990
Directconnect Humanitarian Aid IncMI $264,240$24,549 990
The Global Peace Initiative Of Women Religious And Spiritual Leaders IncNY $264,432$50,155 990
Mercy Smiles International OutreachTX $262,415$1,967 990
Companion Community DevelopmentIN $262,203$62,988 990
Friends Of Ostomates Worldwide - Usa IncKY $262,040$14,626 990
Santiago Panama Mission AdventuresTX $262,033$19,677 990
Indifly IncorporatedMN $265,285$82,012 990
Manhattan His AssociationKS $265,413$74,102 990
Children Rescues InternationalSD $265,523$6,936 990
Second Mountain MinistriesTX $266,325$182,654 990
Prayer Plan Missions IncOH $266,690$15,938 990
Far Reaching Ministries Aviation IncCA $260,470$100,991 990
Be There MinistriesVA $266,817$42,741 990
World Federation Of Free LatviansMD $266,852$38,444 990
Nivas IncCO $260,322$84,530 990
Cooperative Aid IncTN $260,027$58,162 990
City Of Refuge International IncOR $267,483$48,898 990
Project EthiopiaWA $267,500$14,073 990
Cure Glaucoma FoundationTX $267,724$27,675 990

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 NY 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 default52nd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)56th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted55th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted50th

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 (Erica Ehrenberg) 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 572 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (Q), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $53,000 is reasonable (approximately the 52nd 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). 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.