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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Court Watch Nola

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 331190644
LA · NTEE I50
FY ending 2023-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Darrin Browder, Executive Director / CEO ($82,901) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 80 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 90th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

80 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 80 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$3,477 total compensation of comparable organizations → $165,335 $82,901
$10,34910th
$18,78525th
$35,960Median
$51,18875th
$78,89490th
$82,901This org · 90th
p10$10,349
p25$18,785
p50$35,960
p75$51,188
p90$78,894
$82,901

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

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
The Innocent Lives FoundationPA $115,232$99,333 990
Chains Of Grace IncTX $115,338$51,508 990
Failsafe-era IncVA $115,465$5,261 990
Taking Action For GoodTN $115,785$149,060 990
Life After JusticeIL $113,155$66,935 990
Nofires IncMA $113,064$43,280 990
Spf-iimcIL $112,649$27,655 990
Parents Against Child Sex AbuseIL $111,911$22,171 990
Easterseals Housing Solutions IncMT $111,085$46,492 990
Arkansas Policy FoundationAR $118,975$95,242 990
Morgantown Area Youth Services ProjectWV $120,319$37,134 990
Clarinda Youth CorporationIA $108,216$3,477 990
Nevada Peace Officer AssociationNV $107,204$8,489 990
Alliance For Higher EducationCO $122,429$18,904 990
The National Foundation To EndCO $122,441$117,230 990
Pathways For Change IncFL $106,135$18,427 990
Apoyo Legal Al Emprendimiento Comunitario IncPR $106,009$32,000 990
Citizens For Community Justice IncIN $103,218$46,512 990
Midland Kids FirstMI $128,391$47,494 990
Minnesota Freedom Fund ActionMN $101,127$10,813 990
Sixth Judicial Court Casagal Program IncMT $128,567$27,994 990
Finequity IncNY $100,802$92,494 990
Bayberry Courts IncRI $100,704$45,709 990
Legal Accountability ProjectDC $129,621$61,709 990
The National Legal FoundationVA $129,741$72,685 990

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 LA 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 default90th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)84th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted86th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted71st

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 (Darrin Browder) 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 80 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (I), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $82,901 is reasonable (approximately the 90th 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.