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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Washington School Of Chinese Language & Culture

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 521448231
MD · NTEE A230
FY ending 2024-08-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of David Lee, Executive Director / CEO ($1,600) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 76 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 1st percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: David Lee — reported title “PRINCIPAL”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

76 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 76 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$631 total compensation of comparable organizations → $246,001 $1,600
$4,71710th
$10,70225th
$29,649Median
$57,18275th
$71,60990th
$1,600This org · 1st
p10$4,717
p25$10,702
p50$29,649
p75$57,182
p90$71,609
$1,600

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 MD 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
Elnu Abenaki Inc VT$152,261 Secretary/treas $62,914 $67,733 2024
Souls Grown Deep Community GA$154,807 President $222,172 $246,001 2023
Organizacion De Tlaxcaltecas Usa Inc CA$150,947 President $40,000 $36,945 2024
Zeitgeist Northwest OR$155,341 School Director $5,600 $5,726 2023
Hispanics Avanzando Hispanics -- Dba Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati Foundation OH$150,551 Board Of Directors $7,200 $8,398 2023
Tubatulabals Of Kern Valley CA$155,709 Chairman $4,840 $4,470 2024
Polska Szkola Im Marii Konopckiej Nfp IL$149,506 President $5,300 $5,573 2024
Savannah Pride Center GA$146,396 Director $80,000 $86,039 2024
Polish Center Of Discovery And Learning MA$144,437 Director $6,000 $5,767 2024
City Of Bridges Foundation PA$143,919 Director $61,235 $65,317 2024
Brethren & Mennonite Heritage VA$162,847 Executive Di $65,992 $70,167 2023
Chinese Cultural Productions CA$135,600 Executive Director $24,000 $22,167 2024
Oregon Marshallese Community Association OR$132,849 President $3,639 $3,615 2024
Islamic Outreach Foundation CA$132,115 Vp Finance $2,189 $2,022 2024
Al-nahda Centernfp IL$174,180 Director $16,644 $18,020 2023
Slovenian Union Of America Inc IL$131,740 National Vp Of Outreach $600 $631 2024
Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Voyaging HI$174,552 Executive Di $70,000 $67,035 2024
Afrikan Poetry Theatre Inc NY$131,100 Executive Director $25,000 $23,541 2025
Asi-kp Inc VA$129,620 Exec Director $9,000 $9,295 2024
7 Rivers Alliance Inc WI$128,687 Executive Di $77,942 $87,067 2024
Minnesota International Chines MN$179,407 Principal $11,720 $12,068 2025
Young Indian Culture Group Inc NY$181,746 President $21,750 $21,022 2024
Irish Outreach San Diego Inc CA$182,111 Executive Director $60,000 $55,417 2024
All Cultures Equal Inc IA$123,407 Executive Dir. $14,300 $17,242 2023
Century Chinese Language School Of MA$183,265 Principal $5,198 $4,867 2025

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MD 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 MD 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 default1st
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)1st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted1st
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted1st

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 (David Lee) 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 76 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A23), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $1,600 is reasonable (approximately the 1st 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.