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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

The Art Experience Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 383373601
MI · NTEE A25
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Audra Pieknik, Executive Director / CEO ($46,165) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 157 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 39th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

157 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 157 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$149 total compensation of comparable organizations → $204,106 $46,165
$14,54310th
$31,56925th
$54,882Median
$72,34075th
$86,64890th
$46,165This org · 39th
p10$14,543
p25$31,569
p50$54,882
p75$72,340
p90$86,648
$46,165

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

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
Thru Guidance Ministries IncCA $355,744$116,764 990
Community Rejuvenation Project IncCA $355,178$60,687 990
Tizmoret IncMA $361,017$1,741 990
California State Band ChampionshipsCA $361,770$4,890 990
Moezart Productions IncAZ $353,787$19,008 990
StoryarkMN $363,947$67,012 990
Fine Art Miracles IncPA $350,924$75,024 990
The Music Education InitiativeAR $350,517$107,852 990
Spark Arts Ignite LearningMT $367,110$69,884 990
The Arts Center At Fountain ParkSC $369,447$118,660 990
Indiana Glass Arts Alliance IncIN $370,261$79,639 990
Coupeville Arts CenterWA $344,715$49,269 990
Art House San ClementeCA $373,922$68,900 990
Hogfish MaineME $340,928$3,463 990
Foluke Cultural Arts Center IncOH $375,344$43,578 990
Nw Film CampCA $340,757$13,059 990
Iowa Art Works IncIA $375,444$73,713 990
Arts On AlexanderTX $376,034$18,883 990
Salt Lake Music School FoundationUT $339,397$4,055 990
Inclusive Arts Vermont IncVT $337,905$70,491 990
Lovewell Institute For The Creative Arts IncFL $336,134$59,033 990
Electronic Music Education And Preservation ProjectPA $380,726$62,800 990
Arts For All NevadaNV $384,474$65,815 990
Celebration Barn TheaterME $330,876$61,925 990
Developing Artist CollaborationDE $385,868$11,384 990

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 MI 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 default39th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)36th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted41st
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted37th

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 (Audra Pieknik) 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 157 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A25), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $46,165 is reasonable (approximately the 39th 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.