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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Akwd Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 562431387
PA · NTEE B21
FY ending 2024-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Robert Stauffer, Executive Director / CEO ($50,311) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 313 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 52nd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Robert Stauffer — reported title “President”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

313 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 313 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$347 total compensation of comparable organizations → $173,179 $50,311
$20,65110th
$37,87025th
$49,690Median
$66,60875th
$89,97190th
$50,311This org · 52nd
p10$20,651
p25$37,870
p50$49,690
p75$66,608
p90$89,971
$50,311

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 PA 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
Montessori Education Center Of The Rockies Inc CO$396,702 Executive Director $90,000 $84,308 2025
Montessori System School Of Black Hawk County IA$393,106 Executive Director $37,230 $42,085 2023
New Hope Child Care MN$400,334 President $51,198 $52,228 2023
Kiddie Kare Ministry & Preschool Co IN$392,309 President $66,250 $70,058 2024
Kids Place A Place For Kids To Be NY$401,138 Executive Di $42,534 $39,680 2023
Santa Ynez Valley Outreach Center CA$391,350 Director $14,080 $12,552 2023
Tenney Nursery And Parent Center Inc WI$404,305 Executive Director $42,925 $44,954 2024
Cornerstone Academy TX$388,382 Academy Director $150,000 $150,463 2024
Venice Nokomis Community Preschool Inc FL$406,792 Officer $62,647 $59,015 2024
Parents Of Rockhill Inc MA$384,487 Vice Princip $46,939 $43,546 2023
Ark Adventure Preschool Inc TX$384,336 Director $59,915 $58,551 2025
Tot Time Preschool NC$409,356 Board Member $37,750 $39,114 2024
South Walpole Community Preschool Inc MA$409,703 Executive Dir. $47,350 $43,928 2023
Canguros Inc FL$382,902 President $45,604 $42,960 2024
Fieldstone Early Learning MA$382,370 President $70,012 $61,462 2025
Valley Parent Preschool CA$381,198 Director $64,700 $54,579 2025
Wilbraham Community Preschool MA$380,140 President $65,958 $59,435 2024
The Lab School MO$413,054 Executive Director $70,955 $75,361 2024
Happy Hearts Kindergarten Inc FL$413,167 Director $56,463 $53,190 2024
Stepping Stones Learning Center TX$379,604 Employee $43,499 $43,633 2024
Discovery Montessori CA$413,675 Executive Di $70,920 $59,827 2025
Childrens Weekday Program VA$414,108 Executive Director $42,000 $41,867 2023
The Kids Co-op Inc CA$414,819 Executive Dir. $79,875 $69,164 2024
Kids Under Construction Preschool Inc VA$415,107 Director & Treasurer $64,130 $60,492 2025
Bright Beginnings WA$377,379 Secretary $9,000 $8,319 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to PA 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 PA 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 default52nd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)49th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted53rd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted52nd

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 (Robert Stauffer) 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 313 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B21), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $50,311 is reasonable (approximately the 52nd 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.