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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

John G Watson Foundation

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 452857543
CA · NTEE S11
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Stephen Flaim, Executive Director / CEO ($30,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 23 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 65th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

23 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 23 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$297 total compensation of comparable organizations → $203,363 $30,000
$3,78210th
$14,36625th
$19,736Median
$30,69975th
$92,05990th
$30,000This org · 65th
p10$3,782
p25$14,366
p50$19,736
p75$30,699
p90$92,059
$30,000

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

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
Maple River Chamber Of Commerce IncMN $11,744$2,463 990
Evansville Sports CorporationIN $11,593$30,914 990
Isles Community Enterprises CorpNJ $11,257$18,791 990
Liberation Park Market HallCA $11,121$30,000 990
Sdbtc Family Housing Corp ThreeCA $10,985$9,060 990
Nhs Ii Properties LlcPA $12,920$64,617 990
Monterra Community FundCA $10,510$36,568 990
Hoyt Lakes Chamber Of CommerceMN $10,304$16,034 990
Cmh Ii Holding CoMD $13,483$203,363 990
Bbc Community Development CorporationSC $10,000$21,968 990
Opportunities Ventures IncVT $13,901$16,546 990
Petpals Of Southern New Jersey IncNJ $14,302$21,507 990
Mineral County EconomicMT $14,389$30,483 990
Northwest Minnesota Community ImpactMN $9,202$10,600 990
Winchester Economic Development CorpNH $14,675$16,964 990
The National Association Of SpineIL $14,727$24,289 990
Digital Enterprise SocietyOH $8,595$127,661 990
Buckman Trailblazers Snowmobile Club IncMN $8,279$500 990
American Dairy Association Of AlabamaGA $16,995$297 990
American Board Of Sleep MedicineIL $17,021$98,919 990
The Texas Society Of AcofpTX $17,031$16,878 990
Bbb Center For EthicsOH $17,494$19,736 990
Cb Cares Educational FoundationPA $17,759$12,698 990

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 CA 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 default65th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)74th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted91st
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted35th

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 (Stephen Flaim) 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 23 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (S), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $30,000 is reasonable (approximately the 65th 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.