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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Mercy Meals And More

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 272998918
MA · NTEE K36
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of David Motta, Executive Director / CEO ($28,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 267 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 30th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: David Motta — reported title “Program Director”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

267 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 267 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$118 total compensation of comparable organizations → $197,597 $28,000
$7,33710th
$22,58825th
$44,578Median
$64,90575th
$87,53290th
$28,000This org · 30th
p10$7,337
p25$22,588
p50$44,578
p75$64,905
p90$87,532
$28,000

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 MA 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
Maine Food And Beverage Education Center ME$193,225 Executive Director $65,000 $70,352 2024
River Valley Charities Inc WI$193,015 Executive Di $56,496 $63,775 2024
Just Hope Inc NC$192,459 Executive Director $50,400 $56,289 2024
Bionutrient Food Association Inc MA$191,809 Executive Di $61,890 $60,114 2024
Dishroulette Kitchen Nfp IL$191,155 Ceo $55,385 $60,593 2023
Friday Night Supper Program Inc MA$191,069 Executive Director $59,173 $57,475 2024
Nolensville Food Pantry Inc TN$195,473 Executive Director $71,732 $81,500 2024
Germantown Help Inc MD$190,606 Exec Director/ceo $75,734 $78,792 2023
Arkansas Association Of AR$195,930 Program Admin $36,000 $45,031 2023
Gorham Ecumenical Food Pantry ME$196,126 Executive Director $13,500 $15,043 2023
Western Growers Foundation CA$196,357 President And Ceo $51,830 $49,805 2023
Cooking For Long Island Veterans NY$190,012 Officer $16,000 $15,628 2024
Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen Foundation Inc MA$196,516 Executive Director $57,700 $56,045 2024
Healthy Spark TN$196,709 Treasurer $58,800 $66,807 2024
Giving In Kindness In Arkansas Inc AR$189,359 President And Director $45,788 $55,631 2024
Good Meat Project OR$197,136 Executive Director $110,300 $110,717 2024
Maine Dairy And Nutrition Council ME$197,236 Tresurer $600 $650 2024
Antigo Area Community Food Pantry WI$197,844 Manager $41,860 $48,649 2023
East Kentucky Dream Center Inc KY$197,997 Director $28,229 $32,782 2024
National Center For Beef Excellence MO$198,290 Executive Di $112,061 $132,081 2023
Fertile Groundworks CA$199,551 Executive Director $49,176 $45,899 2024
Bethany Center OH$186,012 President $40,000 $47,146 2023
Grower-shipper Association Foundation CA$185,507 Executive Director $83,820 $80,545 2023
Red Truck Ministry VA$201,024 Admin Assist $6,268 $6,541 2024
Orchard Community Learning Service AZ$201,308 Ceo $25,524 $26,533 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MA 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 MA 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 default30th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)31st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted34th
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 (David Motta) 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 267 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (K), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $28,000 is reasonable (approximately the 30th 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.