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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Americans For The Arts Foundation

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 260753160
DC · NTEE A60
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Nolen Bivens, Executive Director / CEO ($14,898) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 19 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 37th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Nolen Bivens — reported title “President & CEO”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

19 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 19 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$2,680 total compensation of comparable organizations → $55,226 $14,898
$6,66710th
$8,79925th
$19,075Median
$28,79775th
$36,58590th
$14,898This org · 37th
p10$6,667
p25$8,799
p50$19,075
p75$28,797
p90$36,585
$14,898

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 DC 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
The Shining Stars Project Inc CA$77,600 Chief Executive Officer $19,385 $19,075 2023
Shakespeare In Clark Park PA$74,437 Producing Artistic Director $4,000 $4,546 2023
Kairos Dance Theater Inc MA$73,305 President $13,960 $13,885 2024
United Lakes & Trail Riders Association MN$81,106 Gambling Manager $6,971 $7,624 2024
Phoenix Womens Chorus AZ$71,318 Ex Officio $15,500 $16,074 2025
Oconee Youth Playhouse GA$82,270 Executive Di $7,450 $8,536 2023
Arts Mentorship Program Inc CA$82,824 Executive Dir. $34,766 $33,229 2024
Cor Mundi Center For Sacred Music TX$83,397 President And Artistic Director $6,500 $7,197 2024
Mountain Home Arts Council Inc ID$83,708 Executive Director $16,294 $19,752 2023
Casoe Inc MI$68,300 Ceostore Manager $24,000 $29,387 2022
The Stage Door Inc UT$87,427 Managing Dir $8,000 $9,062 2024
Early Era Collective TX$62,422 Artistic Director $2,351 $2,680 2023
Eicher Arts Center Inc PA$93,230 Coordinator $13,977 $15,884 2023
Small Wonder Puppet Theatre Inc NY$97,235 Executive Director $55,215 $55,226 2024
Team Sunshine Performance Corp PA$101,673 Co-artistic $28,280 $31,216 2024
Marigold Arts Development Inc SC$103,128 Ceo $16,900 $19,515 2024
Music From China Inc NY$104,010 Executive Director $28,200 $28,206 2024
Chinese Christian Church Music Institute CA$104,020 Admin $25,500 $24,372 2024
Five Myles Inc NY$113,371 Founder $50,000 $50,010 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to DC 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 DC 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 default37th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)42nd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted0th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted100th

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 (Nolen Bivens) 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 19 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A60), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $14,898 is reasonable (approximately the 37th 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.