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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Colorado Institute For Public Life

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 832536387
CO · NTEE S02
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Jorge Montiel, Executive Director / CEO ($129,125) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 1159 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 94th percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended

How comparable organizations were selected

1,159 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 1,159 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1 total compensation of comparable organizations → $341,213 $129,125
$11,44210th
$31,71325th
$58,295Median
$83,76975th
$112,88090th
$129,125This org · 94th
p10$11,442
p25$31,713
p50$58,295
p75$83,769
p90$112,880
$129,125

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
Schenectady Greenmarket IncNY $193,489$28,253 990
American Knife And Tool Institute IncWY $193,706$62,314 990
Lithuanian CenterIL $193,802$7,191 990
Jacksonville Main StreetIL $193,806$39,038 990
Oakland Transportation Management AssociPA $193,830$107,213 990
Red Oak Chamber And Industry Association IncIA $192,644$59,369 990
Bakery Confectionery TobaccoTN $192,600$14,206 990
Sheboygan Falls Chamber Main StreetWI $194,417$58,338 990
Alliance Area DevelopmentOH $192,411$93,506 990
Enterprise Development & Management CorpIN $194,491$4,076 990
Grant County Economic Developement CorporationKS $194,562$93,964 990
Reach Waupun IncWI $192,333$29,084 990
Pawtucket FoundationRI $192,116$105,216 990
Fort Davis Chamber Of CommerceTX $194,789$14,790 990
Pomerado Hospital Medical StaffCA $194,837$57,482 990
LeadmoMO $194,877$43,331 990
Green Motors Practices GroupID $191,962$71,002 990
Huntingburg Event & Community Center IncIN $194,942$26,082 990
Great Lakes Bay Regional AllianceMI $191,747$103,015 990
Downtown Canandaigua Business ManagementNY $191,704$43,784 990
Atlas Of West Central MinnesotaMN $191,690$51,524 990
Village Of Wauwatosa Business ImproWI $191,615$92,509 990
Queen Village Neighbors AssociationPA $195,397$34,040 990
Foodworks Alliance LlcOH $195,468$39,436 990
Chicago Housing Consulting Services IncIL $195,510$46,206 990

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 default94th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)94th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted95th
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 (Jorge Montiel) 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 1159 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (S), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $129,125 is reasonable (approximately the 94th 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.