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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

The Ella Project

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 812192048
LA · NTEE A01
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Eugene Meneray, Executive Director / CEO ($94,500) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 19 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 89th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Eugene Meneray — reported title “CO FOUNDER”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

19 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 19 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$29,368 total compensation of comparable organizations → $110,567 $94,500
$32,10210th
$49,24325th
$69,708Median
$85,66675th
$92,68890th
$94,500This org · 89th
p10$32,102
p25$49,243
p50$69,708
p75$85,666
p90$92,688
$94,500

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 LA 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
Art Of The Cowgirl Foundation MT$361,093 Executive Dir. $30,000 $29,368 2024
South Jersey Cultural Alliance NJ$388,800 Executive Dir. $85,971 $69,708 2024
Joseph's House Holding Corporation NJ$403,006 Executive Dir. $136,362 $110,567 2024
Arc Of The Central Mountains CO$415,334 Executive Director $112,653 $98,099 2024
Naturist Society Foundation Inc WI$318,007 Editor And Executive Director $52,920 $51,674 2023
Treasure House Of Hope CO$429,501 Executive Director $101,000 $87,952 2024
Walls Turned Sideways Nfp IL$439,914 Director/co-ed $40,137 $34,911 2025
The Intentional Man Project CA$464,458 Executive Director $111,000 $84,802 2025
Oklahomans For The Arts Inc OK$253,218 Executive Di $65,000 $65,000 2024
Free Mom Hugs Inc OK$485,810 Executive Director $91,335 $91,335 2024
The Mahogany Project TX$491,200 Director $92,518 $86,529 2023
Utah Cultural Alliance Foundation UT$493,367 Executive Dir. $59,063 $54,898 2024
Second Chance Dv Sa Shelter AR$495,781 Executive Di $52,618 $53,713 2024
North Atlantic Arts Alliance ME$496,692 Executive Director $50,000 $46,812 2023
Ohio Alliance For Arts Education OH$519,143 Executive Di $87,200 $83,875 2024
Black Lives Matter Paterson NJ$522,264 Ceo $40,000 $32,433 2024
St Louis Arts Chamber Of Commerce MO$525,000 Treasurer $32,000 $30,780 2024
Young Latino Network OH$535,465 Executive Dir. $71,596 $70,901 2023
West Virginia Alliance Of Recovery WV$541,067 Executive Director $73,757 $72,525 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to LA 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 LA 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 default89th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)79th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted95th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted89th

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 (Eugene Meneray) 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 19 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A01), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $94,500 is reasonable (approximately the 89th 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.