Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Samantha Van Der Merwe, Executive Director / CEO ($53,500) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 440 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
Benchmarked executive: Samantha Van Der Merwe — reported title “President”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.
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 OR cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.
| Organization | State | Revenue | Matched title | Comp (reported) | Comp (adjusted) | FY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Look Ahead America Inc | DC | $403,844 | President | $43,737 | $41,329 | 2023 |
| City Learners Inc Dba My City School | CA | $403,881 | Executive Dir. | $100,223 | $90,518 | 2024 |
| Compass For Affordable Housing | CA | $404,252 | Executive Director | $65,697 | $61,088 | 2023 |
| Anoka Hennepin Educational Foundation Incorporated | MN | $405,096 | Executive Director | $87,701 | $90,639 | 2024 |
| Santa Ana Education Facilities | CA | $405,324 | Executive Director | $52,091 | $47,047 | 2024 |
| The Education And Research Foundation | NY | $405,758 | President | $47,500 | $44,894 | 2024 |
| Wayne Township Education Foundation Inc | IN | $405,780 | Executive Director | $72,978 | $78,419 | 2025 |
| Colorado High School Coaches Association Inc | CO | $400,414 | Executive Director | $72,141 | $72,351 | 2024 |
| One Solution Foundation Inc | IL | $400,202 | Executive Director | $61,004 | $64,582 | 2023 |
| Epilepsy Foundation Of Missouri | MO | $399,900 | Executive Di | $73,977 | $81,952 | 2024 |
| Eduguide | MI | $399,810 | President | $120,679 | $130,283 | 2024 |
| Arts Media And Entertainment Institute Inc | CA | $399,515 | Executive Director | $82,378 | $74,401 | 2024 |
| Atlantic Indoor Association | NC | $408,083 | Colorguard C | $1,500 | $1,579 | 2025 |
| Jump In Foundation Inc | WI | $408,226 | Executive Director | $40,000 | $44,984 | 2023 |
| Center For Open Data Enterprise Inc | DC | $408,476 | President Andsecretary | $83,333 | $76,486 | 2024 |
| Bluedoor Education Center Inc | CA | $409,390 | Treasurer | $62,508 | $56,455 | 2024 |
| Aamva Region Iv Inc | VA | $409,582 | Director, Regions Iii & Iv | $15,356 | $15,966 | 2023 |
| Sunshine Academy Summer School | VA | $396,640 | President | $20,000 | $20,794 | 2023 |
| Millersville International House | PA | $411,013 | Director Of Operations | $35,500 | $38,122 | 2023 |
| Moonlighter Fablab Inc | FL | $411,341 | President | $79,715 | $78,326 | 2024 |
| Sedalia Heritage Foundation Inc | MO | $411,502 | Exec Dir / L | $13,597 | $15,063 | 2024 |
| Communities In Schools Of Candler Co Inc | GA | $395,553 | Director | $36,575 | $37,473 | 2025 |
| Aamva Region Ii Inc | VA | $395,339 | Director, Regions I & Ii | $15,357 | $15,967 | 2023 |
| Cumberland County Bar Association | PA | $395,243 | Executive Di | $76,065 | $79,339 | 2024 |
| Stark Education Partnership Inc | OH | $395,046 | President | $196,358 | $223,951 | 2023 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to OR cost of living and 2023 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.
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 OR 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.
Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:
| Basis | Subject percentile |
|---|---|
| Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default | 39th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 42nd |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 41st |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 34th |
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.
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
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.