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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

African American Heritage Society

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 621608388
TN · NTEE A50
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Alma Mclemore, Executive Director / CEO ($27,440) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 50 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 42nd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Alma Mclemore — reported title “Executive Dir.”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

50 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 50 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,886 total compensation of comparable organizations → $95,919 $27,440
$9,98010th
$17,15325th
$31,475Median
$45,94675th
$58,35990th
$27,440This org · 42nd
p10$9,980
p25$17,153
p50$31,475
p75$45,946
p90$58,359
$27,440

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 TN 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
Mauch Chunk Museum & Cultural PA$153,792 Secretary/tr $17,181 $15,832 2024
Ct Vivian Foundation Inc GA$143,562 Executive Di $42,000 $38,017 2025
Silver Reef Foundation Inc UT$157,200 Director $20,350 $19,246 2024
Pa Museums PA$159,147 Executive Director, Ex Officio $49,500 $46,962 2023
The New Bedford Museum Of Glass Inc MA$161,979 President $27,622 $24,582 2022
Jenney House Museum Inc MA$162,953 President $78,000 $66,682 2023
The Museum Of Carousel Art & History OH$163,984 Executive Director $52,100 $52,497 2023
Buffalo Bill Museum Of Le Claire IA$164,459 Exec Director $21,500 $21,753 2024
The Legacy Project IL$166,064 Executive Director $51,095 $47,789 2023
Tri-motor Heritage Foundation OH$169,054 Curator $30,000 $30,229 2023
Space Shuttle Exhibition Gallery WA$170,000 Ceo, Museum Of Flight Fdn $34,413 $28,471 2024
The Living Bible Museum Inc OH$128,599 Trustee $12,020 $11,764 2024
Museum Of Broadcast Communications IL$127,961 Chairman/treasurer/ceo $36,539 $33,194 2024
Columbus Ohio Firefighters Museum Inc OH$171,440 Executive Director $33,000 $32,297 2024
Alamosa Chamber Of Commerce CO$171,865 Executive Dir. $54,590 $49,799 2023
Magnes Museum Foundation CA$126,193 Director, Secretary $20,421 $16,294 2024
Friends Of The Museums Of Florida FL$173,934 Museum Direc $2,110 $1,886 2023
International Royal Order Of Jesters Inc IN$124,859 Executive Director $11,040 $10,758 2024
Susan B Anthony Birthplace Museum Inc MA$124,399 Executive Director $70,000 $58,126 2024
Bluegrass Heritage Museum Inc KY$121,829 Executive-di $38,016 $37,741 2024
The Sam Houston Masonic Library And Museum Association TX$121,623 Treasurer $3,000 $2,702 2025
Friends Of The Kenfield Gallery NE$177,474 Executive Di $36,000 $35,779 2024
Mennonite Heritage & Agrcltr Museum KS$120,970 Museum Director/curator $18,915 $19,440 2023
Venango Museum Of Art Science And Industry PA$178,746 Executive Director $34,014 $31,344 2024
North Franklin Heritage Museum WA$178,823 President $19,980 $17,018 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to TN 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 TN 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 default42nd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)40th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted46th
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 (Alma Mclemore) 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 50 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A50), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $27,440 is reasonable (approximately the 42nd 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.