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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Shakespeare In Detroit

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 474374924
MI · NTEE A65
FY ending 2023-08-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Samantha White, Executive Director / CEO ($35,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 246 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 56th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

246 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 246 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$653 total compensation of comparable organizations → $102,628 $35,000
$5,32110th
$14,44625th
$32,634Median
$47,18775th
$58,59190th
$35,000This org · 56th
p10$5,321
p25$14,446
p50$32,634
p75$47,187
p90$58,591
$35,000

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 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
Longmont Theatre Company IncCO $225,189$4,741 990
Shelby County Community Theatre IncKY $227,114$14,774 990
Ffx Ministries IncVA $224,410$19,556 990
Shake On The Lake IncNY $227,871$17,177 990
Colorado New Play FestivalCO $224,108$38,800 990
Full Circle Theater CompanyMN $223,986$36,869 990
Studio Theatre IncAR $223,946$33,552 990
Expats TheatreDC $229,766$44,593 990
Latinx Playwrights Circle IncNY $222,247$5,997 990
Lobster Theater ProjectCA $221,947$49,330 990
The American Friends Of The AlmeidaNY $230,773$4,283 990
The Stage Oconee IncGA $221,389$9,717 990
Storytelling Arts Of Indiana IncIN $230,989$56,434 990
Vail Performing Arts AcademyCO $231,704$66,896 990
Northern California Dance CollectiveCA $220,351$1,260 990
South Park Theatre IncPA $231,848$33,784 990
Community Players IncNE $220,307$47,571 990
Towle Performing Arts CompanyIN $232,013$56,037 990
Grand Theatre Of Oelwein IncIA $219,679$28,447 990
A Company Of GirlsME $232,912$48,769 990
She Nyc Arts IncNY $218,793$3,502 990
Stageworx CoKS $218,008$19,198 990
Rover DramawerksTX $234,222$17,885 990
Vivid Stage IncNJ $217,741$24,556 990
Roanoke Childrens Theatre IncVA $235,675$4,498 990

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 default56th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)51st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted57th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted55th

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 (Samantha White) 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 246 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A65), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $35,000 is reasonable (approximately the 56th 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.