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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

River Mist Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 812209237
CO · NTEE B21
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Jennifer Tew, Executive Director / CEO ($87,524) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 317 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 85th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

317 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 317 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$361 total compensation of comparable organizations → $180,107 $87,524
$25,12510th
$42,01925th
$56,548Median
$74,43075th
$101,85690th
$87,524This org · 85th
p10$25,125
p25$42,019
p50$56,548
p75$74,430
p90$101,856
$87,524

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 CO cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
Kingdom Preparatory Academy IncAZ $436,410$58,505 990
Pumpkin Patch Pre-k IncAR $436,658$93,874 990
Elmhurst Montessori Preschool IncIL $437,054$82,713 990
Eastminster Preschool IncPA $434,734$56,010 990
Houghton Lake Preschool IncMI $437,714$27,290 990
Heavenly Angels Preschool IncFL $434,074$25,919 990
Saxon Hill School IncVT $433,660$61,091 990
Child Light IncNY $432,866$89,496 990
Sherman Montessori Pre-school IncTX $432,000$59,580 990
Southshire Community SchoolVT $431,728$72,172 990
Elite Kids AcademyCA $440,260$23,774 990
Faithful Beginnings IncFL $430,759$40,201 990
Windham Cooperative Kindergarten IncNH $441,932$27,966 990
Gabriels Little Angels PreschoolTX $429,871$67,704 990
Beaver Brook Children's School IncVT $442,253$69,272 990
Abc Angels PreschoolCA $442,362$7,564 990
Heartland Community Montessori School IncWI $428,980$57,307 990
The Childrens SchoolNY $428,921$24,973 990
A Childs Garden IncOH $443,070$89,791 990
Spark PreschoolOH $444,348$127,384 990
Hope Montessori School - The WoodlandsTX $444,377$2,003 990
Rose City Montessori SchoolNJ $423,168$32,641 990
Sonshine Patch IncCO $451,060$56,729 990
Cornerstone Preschool GroupGA $419,214$50,309 990
Gingerbread House Academy IncTX $418,719$52,377 990

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 CO 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 default85th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)84th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted85th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted84th

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 (Jennifer Tew) 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 317 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B21), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $87,524 is reasonable (approximately the 85th 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). 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.