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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Vanguard School Foundation Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 593542447
FL · NTEE B112
FY ending 2023-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Lu Shannon Graves, Executive Director / CEO ($18,159) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 113 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 28th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Lu Shannon Graves — reported title “HEAD OF SCHOOL”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

113 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 113 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$451 total compensation of comparable organizations → $325,257 $18,159
$6,20210th
$15,71925th
$27,917Median
$60,80575th
$88,27990th
$18,159This org · 28th
p10$6,202
p25$15,719
p50$27,917
p75$60,805
p90$88,279
$18,159

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 FL 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
Clark-pleasant Education Foundation IN$197,871 Executive Di $19,100 $20,826 2024
Argyle Education Foundation TX$197,529 Aef Director $77,120 $79,762 2024
Bfb Foundation Inc NC$199,887 Executive Director (Ended 5/2023) $18,750 $20,623 2023
The Citadel Real Estate Foundation SC$201,708 Executive Director $122,625 $136,177 2023
Whitefish School District Education Foundation MT$202,027 Executive Director $22,917 $25,542 2024
La Vega Pirates Education Foundation TX$194,234 Executive Director $10,000 $10,343 2024
Heritage Mission Foundation Inc IN$192,847 Secretary $23,800 $25,950 2024
Putnam Education Partnership Foundation TN$208,115 Director $23,200 $25,214 2024
Microenterprise Collaborative CA$187,555 Executive Dir. $106,411 $97,811 2023
St Cloud State University Alumni MN$209,881 Executive Director $25,055 $25,597 2024
Peace Academic Center Inc KS$210,137 Secretary/administrator $36,000 $41,400 2023
Harbor Springs Ram Boosters MI$186,815 Treasurer $3,600 $3,842 2024
Chico Cheer All Stars Inc CA$184,735 Director And President $30,000 $26,784 2024
Lee County Education Foundation NC$184,531 Executive Director $4,500 $4,950 2023
Concordia Lutheran Schools Of Omaha NE$183,176 President $67,643 $77,445 2023
The Educators' Cooperative TN$214,686 Executive Director $40,000 $43,472 2024
Trinity Education Foundation WA$215,309 Interim Executive Director $83,062 $79,161 2023
Winchester Education Foundation Inc VA$181,748 Executive Director $14,394 $14,794 2023
St Charles City County Library MO$180,821 Library Foundation Directo $17,144 $18,774 2024
Mike Steele Foundation For Communities In Schools TX$180,023 President & Ceo $8,035 $8,310 2024
Friends Of The Pool Inc FL$217,448 Executive Director $44,000 $44,000 2023
Savannah Classical Academy GA$179,227 Executive Di $110,557 $118,331 2023
City Of Orange Public Library Foundation CA$218,507 Executive Director $42,000 $37,498 2024
Omart Women Supporting Women PA$219,279 President $48,201 $49,699 2024
Cencal Youth Sports CA$219,561 Executive Director $24,400 $21,785 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to FL cost of living and 2023 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 FL 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 default28th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)31st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted0th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted83rd

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 (Lu Shannon Graves) 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 113 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B11), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $18,159 is reasonable (approximately the 28th 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.