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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Newcomb Historical Museum

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 812053129
NY · NTEE A54
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Joan Burke, Executive Director / CEO ($52,800) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 95 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 46th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Joan Burke — reported title “MUSEUM DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

95 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 95 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$105 total compensation of comparable organizations → $192,005 $52,800
$17,24810th
$38,07325th
$53,934Median
$70,99575th
$83,61890th
$52,800This org · 46th
p10$17,248
p25$38,073
p50$53,934
p75$70,995
p90$83,618
$52,800

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 NY 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
Butler County Historical Society OH$228,610 Executive Dir. $40,837 $46,492 2024
The Haverstraw African American NY$225,077 Maintenance $1,500 $1,457 2024
Harriet Tubman Home NY$237,460 President & Ceo $50,000 $48,566 2024
Eastend Studio & Gallery MI$240,654 Executive Director $25,000 $27,737 2024
Historic Georgetown Inc CO$221,096 Executive Di $67,083 $69,142 2024
R E Olds Transportation Museum MI$241,806 Executive Director $60,000 $68,535 2023
New Americans Museum Inc CA$219,841 Executive Dir. $133,200 $127,285 2023
The Hampton History Museum Association VA$242,171 Secrectary $7,899 $8,440 2023
Lynden Heritage Foundation WA$242,920 Director $55,951 $53,846 2024
Packard Museum Association OH$218,808 Executive Dir $61,205 $69,681 2024
The Texas Red Men Foundation Inc TX$243,278 Executive Director $62,433 $67,130 2024
Constable Hall Association Inc NY$243,851 Executive Di $22,880 $22,224 2024
Spring Hill Historic Home Inc OH$248,590 Interim Director $90 $105 2023
Minnesota Fishing Museum & MN$210,554 Executive Di $44,914 $49,113 2023
Northeast Georgia History Center At GA$251,563 23-24 Ed $24,410 $27,161 2023
Marietta Museum Of History Inc GA$210,201 Director $50,000 $54,040 2024
Alamance County Historical Museum Inc NC$209,161 Executive Director $52,714 $58,548 2024
Taylor County History Center TX$252,908 Executive Director $71,308 $76,673 2024
Imperial Calcasieu Museum Inc LA$253,539 Executive Dir. $50,000 $60,929 2023
Museum Of The San Ramon Valley CA$253,557 Executive Dir $51,618 $49,326 2023
International Women's Air & Space OH$207,319 Executive Di $45,424 $51,715 2024
The Robbins Hunter Museum OH$255,160 Executive Di $20,200 $22,997 2024
Taos Historic Museums Inc NM$206,410 Treasurer $14,000 $16,185 2024
Golden Ball Tavern Trust MA$205,085 Exec. Direct $131,715 $127,227 2024
Richmond Museum Association Inc CA$257,685 Executive Di $58,240 $54,057 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to NY 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 NY 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 default46th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)54th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted48th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted45th

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 (Joan Burke) 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 95 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A54), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $52,800 is reasonable (approximately the 46th 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.