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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Chicago Film Society

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 800676821
IL · NTEE A31
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Julian Antos, Executive Director / CEO ($12,999) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 23 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 4th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

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

How comparable organizations were selected

23 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 23 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,152 total compensation of comparable organizations → $92,752 $12,999
$18,52610th
$25,94725th
$35,419Median
$47,89175th
$67,47490th
$12,999This org · 4th
p10$18,526
p25$25,947
p50$35,419
p75$47,891
p90$67,474
$12,999

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 IL 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
Open Eye Pictures Inc CA$147,325 President $105,600 $92,752 2024
Maiden Alley Cinema KY$153,899 Executive Director $19,385 $21,184 2024
Miami Short Film Festival Inc FL$131,124 Executive Director $36,000 $35,416 2023
Dance Films Association Inc NY$128,646 Executive Director $38,750 $36,669 2023
Woods Hole Film Festival Inc MA$127,022 Vice President/treasurer $46,731 $41,613 2025
Documentaries Seattle WA$162,200 President $45,000 $40,981 2024
Journeys In Film NM$164,417 Executive Director $32,375 $35,419 2024
Ccff - Crystal Clear Film Foundation TX$115,902 Treasurer $1,100 $1,152 2023
Opheliasmedia Films Inc GA$111,500 Director $45,950 $46,995 2024
Fairhope Film Festival Inc AL$108,523 Executive Director $16,000 $18,102 2023
Frozen River Film Festival MN$179,789 Executive Director - Past $49,824 $48,787 2025
Jezebel Productions Inc NY$105,154 Executive Di $22,000 $20,221 2024
Out At The Movies NC$104,603 Executive Director Effective Aug 2024 $13,902 $14,611 2024
Film Florida Inc FL$188,257 Executive Di $70,735 $67,591 2024
Berlin And Beyond Inc CA$96,436 Director $47,000 $42,501 2023
Washington West International Film Festival VA$191,397 President $27,500 $27,806 2023
Beloit Intl Film Festival Inc WI$193,867 Executive Director $51,000 $54,177 2024
Narrative Alchemy OR$200,000 Officer Manager $25,500 $24,087 2024
Cinestudio Inc CT$200,722 Executive Dir. $76,443 $75,058 2023
Worldwide Documentaries Inc NY$204,492 President $30,000 $28,389 2023
Artrageous IN$206,973 President $32,400 $34,754 2024
San Francisco Cinematheque CA$209,336 Exec. Dir./dir. $76,286 $67,004 2024
The New American Cinema Group Inc NY$212,460 Executive Director $34,849 $32,977 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to IL 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 IL 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 default4th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)4th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted4th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted4th

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 (Julian Antos) 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 23 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A31), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $12,999 is reasonable (approximately the 4th 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.