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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Heritage Museum Foundation At Grissom Air Reserve Base

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 351519490
IN · NTEE A540
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Thomas Jennings, Executive Director / CEO ($68,500) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 103 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 81st percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

103 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 103 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,285 total compensation of comparable organizations → $169,384 $68,500
$19,74210th
$36,83725th
$48,559Median
$65,66175th
$74,83190th
$68,500This org · 81st
p10$19,742
p25$36,837
p50$48,559
p75$65,661
p90$74,831
$68,500

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 IN 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 Gunflint Trail HistoricalMN $315,116$28,687 990
Grand Traverse Lighthouse MuseumMI $314,482$74,163 990
The Lawson Boating Heritage Center On Chautauqua LakeNY $314,302$3,556 990
California Heritage MuseumCA $314,102$36,215 990
Diplomacy Center FoundationDC $323,376$41,939 990
Delmarva Discovery Center & Museum IncMD $323,477$48,760 990
Houston Aeronautical HeritageTX $324,772$17,490 990
Matheson History MuseumFL $325,091$41,755 990
Ninepipes Museum Of Early MontanaMT $311,614$31,543 990
New Castle Senior Center IncDE $325,580$82,059 990
Fairfield County HeritageOH $311,054$55,230 990
The Rice MuseumSC $310,577$16,623 990
Museum Village Of Old Smith's Clove IncNY $327,502$25,084 990
Christiansburg Institute IncVA $328,051$68,808 990
Conrad Mansion Directors IncMT $328,213$54,618 990
Loudoun Heritage Farm MuseumVA $329,260$48,571 990
Roebling Main Gate MuseumNJ $306,378$66,120 990
Smithfield Preston FoundationVA $302,252$74,998 990
Franklin Opera House IncNH $301,823$24,840 990
Old Mill FoundationCA $301,525$49,130 990
Wilmington Railroad Museum Foundation IncNC $335,734$62,218 990
The Waterfront MuseumNY $300,796$76,711 990
Penasco Valley HistoricalNM $336,487$45,994 990
Bisbee Council On The Arts And HumanitiesAZ $299,682$65,881 990
The Phelps Mansion MuseumNY $298,199$44,644 990

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 IN 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 default81st
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)73rd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted83rd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted79th

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 (Thomas Jennings) 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 103 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A54), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $68,500 is reasonable (approximately the 81st 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.