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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Emerald Hills Institute

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 820675900
UT · NTEE A23
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Zeynep Kariparduc, Executive Director / CEO ($3,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 42 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 17th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Zeynep Kariparduc — reported title “Director”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

42 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 42 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$576 total compensation of comparable organizations → $224,713 $3,000
$2,33910th
$4,16325th
$17,808Median
$39,94475th
$61,65190th
$3,000This org · 17th
p10$2,339
p25$4,163
p50$17,808
p75$39,944
p90$61,651
$3,000

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 UT 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
Henryk Sienkiewicz Educational Society Inc NY$113,770 Secretary $2,970 $2,622 2024
Asian American Unity Coalition Inc MN$114,560 Officer $1,890 $1,825 2024
Swedish Historical Society Of Rockford IL$104,529 Executive Director $55,978 $55,358 2023
Austin Celtic Association TX$104,482 At-large $33,000 $32,253 2024
Slovenian Cultural Center IL$103,151 Director $15,000 $14,408 2024
Surfrider Spirit Sessions HI$116,087 Executive Director $60,039 $54,071 2023
Mexican Institute Of Greater Houston Inc TX$117,406 President $4,375 $4,402 2023
Huda Community Center CA$101,790 Executive Dir $38,400 $33,355 2023
Persian Cultural Center Inc VA$117,428 President $42,480 $41,259 2023
The Japanese Asociation Of Greater MA$101,073 Secretary $41,000 $35,998 2024
Wei-hwa Chinese School VA$98,248 Principal $2,376 $2,308 2023
Brenham Maifest Association TX$97,786 Director- Marketing $3,000 $2,932 2024
Swiss Center Of North America Inc WI$122,276 President/ceo (As Of April 2024) $51,154 $52,198 2024
Focus On Children United For Success Inc MD$96,901 Chairman $11,217 $10,246 2024
All Cultures Equal Inc IA$123,407 Executive Dir. $14,300 $15,750 2023
Filitalia International PA$93,170 Executive Director $31,650 $31,749 2023
Chinese Historical Society Of New England Inc MA$91,564 Managing Director $36,427 $34,277 2022
7 Rivers Alliance Inc WI$128,687 Executive Di $77,942 $79,533 2024
Fannie Lou Hamer Institute Of Advocacy & Social Action NC$90,500 President $45,000 $45,430 2024
Asi-kp Inc VA$129,620 Exec Director $9,000 $8,491 2024
Afrikan Poetry Theatre Inc NY$131,100 Executive Director $25,000 $21,504 2025
Slovenian Union Of America Inc IL$131,740 National Vp Of Outreach $600 $576 2024
Islamic Outreach Foundation CA$132,115 Vp Finance $2,189 $1,847 2024
Oregon Marshallese Community Association OR$132,849 President $3,639 $3,302 2024
Chinese Cultural Productions CA$135,600 Executive Director $24,000 $20,249 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to UT 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 UT 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 default17th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)14th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted21st
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted17th

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 (Zeynep Kariparduc) 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 42 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A23), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $3,000 is reasonable (approximately the 17th 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.