Live preview — download the board-ready PDF to attach to your minutes.Download the free PDF
Email yourself a copy:
PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Project Animalaid

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 263938168
CO · NTEE D20
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Meghan Curtis, Executive Director / CEO ($25,385) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 410 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 29th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

410 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 410 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,260 total compensation of comparable organizations → $159,433 $25,385
$10,43410th
$23,33325th
$43,067Median
$60,73175th
$78,47490th
$25,385This org · 29th
p10$10,434
p25$23,333
p50$43,067
p75$60,731
p90$78,474
$25,385

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
Planned Pet-hood TN$379,869 Executive Director $33,786 $35,975 2024
Free Animal Doctor Inc CA$379,157 President $24,000 $21,613 2023
Foreverland Farm OH$380,726 Interim Board President $25,000 $26,822 2024
Caring For Cats Inc MN$381,234 Executive Director $28,500 $28,526 2024
Tiny Hooves Rescue Inc WI$378,500 President Until 09/12/24 $12,254 $12,963 2024
H U G S For Horses And Children MI$378,217 President $69,172 $72,322 2024
Rescue Riders Pet Transport TN$382,226 President $2,625 $2,795 2024
Dreamcatcher Ranch Horse Rescue Inc FL$382,581 President $13,789 $13,121 2024
Bobshouse 4dogs Inc WI$382,618 Executive Dir. $46,654 $50,813 2023
Carrie A Seaman Animal Shelter Inc MA$376,429 Treasurer $16,250 $14,411 2025
Lucky 13 Rescue Inc MO$383,450 Executive Dir $60,000 $64,374 2024
Cracker Box Palace Inc NY$375,977 Farm Director $23,078 $21,124 2024
A Friend Of Jack Rescue CO$375,848 Executive Director $57,333 $55,688 2024
Chasing Daylight Animal Shelter Inc WI$375,277 Director $38,923 $41,176 2024
Paws And Claws Rescue Inc IL$375,174 Cat Care Manager $45,000 $46,138 2023
Foxy And The Hounds CA$384,779 President $102,500 $89,656 2024
Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary MO$373,701 Executive Dir. $19,188 $20,586 2024
Humane Society Of Noble County Inc IN$386,131 Shelter Director $46,918 $50,119 2024
Miami Animal Rescue Inc FL$386,286 President $12,000 $11,757 2023
Kitty Cottage Adoption Center Inc PA$386,385 Director $3,770 $3,808 2024
Remarkable Resques Inc FL$372,550 Vice President $39,000 $37,112 2024
Calvert Animal Welfare League Inc MD$387,321 Director $5,400 $5,114 2024
Rory To The Rescue Inc CA$387,425 Ceo $60,751 $53,139 2024
Omega Horse Rescue And Rehabilitation PA$371,753 Executive Director $35,100 $34,543 2025
The Therapet Animal Assisted TX$388,287 Executive Dir. $69,996 $70,926 2024

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 default29th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)29th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted30th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted28th

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 (Meghan Curtis) 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 410 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $25,385 is reasonable (approximately the 29th 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.