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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Washington Metropolitan

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 541471491
VA · NTEE A68Z
FY ending 2024-08-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Caroline Mousset, Executive Director / CEO ($30,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 117 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

How comparable organizations were selected

117 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 117 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$117 total compensation of comparable organizations → $155,623 $30,000
$10,93110th
$20,42825th
$36,206Median
$53,65975th
$75,54090th
$30,000This org · 39th
p10$10,931
p25$20,428
p50$36,206
p75$53,659
p90$75,540
$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 VA cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
Sacraprofana IncCA $188,463$1,841 990
Women In Music IncNY $185,771$11,230 990
Hill Country Youth Orchestras IncTX $185,192$42,648 990
Red Cedar Chamber MusicIA $190,279$42,595 990
Roots Of American MusicOH $183,683$76,786 990
Joy For GenerationsTN $191,568$11,432 990
Capitol Hill Jazz FoundationDC $181,291$43,527 990
New Choral Society Of Central WestchesterNY $193,599$17,825 990
Alabama June Jam IncAL $180,835$81,754 990
Anthropos ArtsTX $195,584$60,433 990
Make Music NolaLA $197,775$100,291 990
International Horn SocietyCA $199,373$39,350 990
The Spk Academy Of Music IncAZ $199,553$27,192 990
Laguna Beach LiveCA $174,133$37,561 990
Indian Music Society Of HoustonTX $200,686$155,623 990
La Donna Musicale IncMA $200,800$54,119 990
ChiarinaDC $201,516$30,768 990
Methow Music Festival AssociationWA $201,532$9,773 990
Texas Early Music ProjectTX $172,531$29,441 990
Indexical IncCA $171,200$43,780 990
The Coleman Chamber Music AssociationCA $171,101$76,261 990
Brooklyn Youth Music Project IncNY $203,789$40,928 990
Women In The Arts Inc National WomensIL $170,731$7,338 990
Aequalis IncFL $204,241$15,757 990
Tunefoolery Music IncMA $170,482$11,841 990

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 VA 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 default39th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)39th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted41st
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted38th

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 (Caroline Mousset) 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 117 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A68), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $30,000 is reasonable (approximately the 39th 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.