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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Good Meat Project

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 465549530
OR · NTEE K01
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Thorne Michele, Executive Director / CEO ($110,300) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 281 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 95th percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended

Benchmarked executive: Thorne Michele — reported title “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

281 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 281 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$57 total compensation of comparable organizations → $196,853 $110,300
$7,83810th
$22,97425th
$44,861Median
$64,88975th
$86,99790th
$110,300This org · 95th
p10$7,838
p25$22,974
p50$44,861
p75$64,889
p90$86,997
$110,300

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

OrganizationStateRevenueMatched titleComp
(reported)
Comp
(adjusted)
FY
Maine Dairy And Nutrition Council ME$197,236 Tresurer $600 $647 2024
Healthy Spark TN$196,709 Treasurer $58,800 $66,555 2024
Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen Foundation Inc MA$196,516 Executive Director $57,700 $55,834 2024
Antigo Area Community Food Pantry WI$197,844 Manager $41,860 $48,466 2023
Western Growers Foundation CA$196,357 President And Ceo $51,830 $49,617 2023
East Kentucky Dream Center Inc KY$197,997 Director $28,229 $32,658 2024
Gorham Ecumenical Food Pantry ME$196,126 Executive Director $13,500 $14,987 2023
National Center For Beef Excellence MO$198,290 Executive Di $112,061 $131,583 2023
Arkansas Association Of AR$195,930 Program Admin $36,000 $44,861 2023
Nolensville Food Pantry Inc TN$195,473 Executive Director $71,732 $81,193 2024
Fertile Groundworks CA$199,551 Executive Director $49,176 $45,726 2024
Red Truck Ministry VA$201,024 Admin Assist $6,268 $6,517 2024
Maine Food And Beverage Education Center ME$193,225 Executive Director $65,000 $70,088 2024
Mercy Meals And More MA$193,191 Program Director $28,000 $27,895 2023
River Valley Charities Inc WI$193,015 Executive Di $56,496 $63,535 2024
Orchard Community Learning Service AZ$201,308 Ceo $25,524 $26,433 2024
Acequia Institute CO$201,500 Director $37,500 $39,864 2023
Louisville Grows Incorporated KY$201,786 Former Executive Director $57,743 $66,803 2024
Just Hope Inc NC$192,459 Executive Director $50,400 $56,077 2024
Bionutrient Food Association Inc MA$191,809 Executive Di $61,890 $59,888 2024
Dishroulette Kitchen Nfp IL$191,155 Ceo $55,385 $60,365 2023
Friday Night Supper Program Inc MA$191,069 Executive Director $59,173 $57,259 2024
Germantown Help Inc MD$190,606 Exec Director/ceo $75,734 $78,496 2023
Honore Farm And Mill CA$203,746 Executive Director $49,087 $46,991 2023
Cooking For Long Island Veterans NY$190,012 Officer $16,000 $15,569 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to OR cost of living and 2024 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.

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 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.

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 default95th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)96th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted95th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted91st

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 (Thorne Michele) 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 281 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (K), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $110,300 is reasonable (approximately the 95th 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). 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.