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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

American Water Works Association

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 237026157
MO · NTEE W038
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Taylor Colegrove, Executive Director / CEO ($16,042) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 151 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 38th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Taylor Colegrove — reported title “FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

151 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 151 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$47 total compensation of comparable organizations → $268,331 $16,042
$3,63410th
$9,76525th
$24,373Median
$47,17775th
$78,80390th
$16,042This org · 38th
p10$3,634
p25$9,765
p50$24,373
p75$47,177
p90$78,803
$16,042

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 MO 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
Tioga American Legion Post 139 ND$137,632 Finance Officer / Gaming Manager $21,500 $21,637 2024
Aliquippa Economic Development Corporation PA$137,369 Executive Director $78,000 $73,440 2023
Wisconsin Vfw Foundation Inc WI$136,914 Director $4,684 $4,486 2024
Challenge America CO$138,619 Founder & Ce $22,917 $20,747 2023
Your Grandmothers Cupboard NJ$135,972 President $47,951 $39,262 2024
American Legion Post 169 Inc MI$139,586 Commander, Finance Officer $2,100 $2,046 2023
Warriors Rock PA$135,753 Secretary $40,800 $37,312 2024
American Legion Post 401 OH$140,179 1st Vice Com $4,000 $4,000 2023
Vermont Asylum Assistance Project Inc VT$134,767 President $10,000 $9,230 2024
The Registration Project Inc DC$141,445 Director/treasurer $3,400 $2,736 2024
Montana Family Foundation Inc MT$141,786 President/ Ceo $30,291 $30,828 2023
Sky Lakes Water Supply Corporation TX$133,526 Treasurer $6,000 $5,504 2024
Acworth & Kennesaw Post 5408 Veterans Of Foreign W GA$142,715 Adjutant $50 $47 2023
Semper Fi Flo Foundation MN$143,143 Executive Director $54,000 $47,672 2025
Aurora Firefighters Credit Union IL$143,304 Head Teller $14,130 $12,740 2024
Wa State Dept Of Transportation WA$144,676 Executive Di $18,000 $15,215 2023
Valhalla Veterans Services PA$144,845 Executive Director $24,000 $21,948 2024
Mettler Valley Mutual Water Co Inc CA$145,149 Secretary $16,838 $13,728 2023
Lions Foundation Of Victoria MN$145,476 Gambling Manager $16,000 $14,499 2024
Blessing The Children International MI$145,936 President $48,000 $45,435 2024
The Merc Playhouse Society WA$146,097 Former Executive Director $30,000 $24,631 2024
White Oak Shores Sewer Service Corporation TX$147,166 Secretary/treasurer $7,770 $7,128 2024
The Windrose Project Inc CA$147,341 Director/exe $52,000 $42,394 2023
Veterans Of Foreign Wars Of The United States Inc NY$147,445 Bartender/janitorial $17,972 $14,893 2024
American Legion NY$147,565 Commander $15,995 $12,913 2025

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MO 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 MO 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 default38th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)34th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted42nd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted34th

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 (Taylor Colegrove) 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 151 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (W), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $16,042 is reasonable (approximately the 38th 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.