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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Journalism And Women Symposium

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 841077803
MI · NTEE B99Z
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Molly Schar, Executive Director / CEO ($54,667) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 342 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 60th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Molly Schar — reported title “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

342 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 342 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$178 total compensation of comparable organizations → $261,927 $54,667
$9,38410th
$26,94225th
$46,091Median
$70,35075th
$97,85190th
$54,667This org · 60th
p10$9,384
p25$26,942
p50$46,091
p75$70,350
p90$97,851
$54,667

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 MI 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
Grand Valley Equine Assisted CO$233,800 President $17,769 $16,034 2024
Teachers Association Of Lee County FL$233,694 Vice President $2,099 $1,856 2024
New York State Science Olympiad Inc NY$233,412 Treasurer $13,500 $11,184 2025
Rising River Corporation OH$234,698 Manager $44,950 $44,801 2024
Mental Health Association Of Portland OR$235,080 Secretary $41,232 $37,097 2023
New Beginnings Pregnancy Services Inc AR$232,407 Director $42,414 $44,864 2024
Youthlaunch Inc TX$232,340 Executive Director $108,333 $99,349 2025
Bluegrass Institute For Public Policy So KY$232,293 President $64,834 $63,859 2025
Osiris Organization MN$235,558 Executive Director $41,250 $38,357 2024
Little Lobbyists Family Alliance MD$231,498 Executive Director $80,000 $70,383 2024
Texas Youth Foundation TX$236,240 Founder & President $52,768 $49,672 2024
Vehicle For Change Inc OH$231,281 Executive Di $20,000 $19,934 2024
Building From Below NC$236,855 President $33,800 $32,865 2024
Wikitongues Inc NY$230,663 Executive Director $59,796 $52,349 2023
Litcamp CA$237,327 Executive Dir. $49,000 $38,790 2025
South Dakota Education Equity Coalition SD$237,679 Executive Director $146,490 $152,139 2024
The Partnership For Excellence OH$229,942 President & $152,192 $156,171 2023
New York Theological Education Center Inc NY$237,887 President $65,081 $55,342 2024
Refugee Youth Solidarity Through Education RI$238,134 Executive Director $80,000 $72,187 2024
Lifewerks Inc PA$229,096 President $3,000 $2,815 2024
Unscripted Learning CA$238,654 Executive Director $40,009 $33,471 2023
Michigan Leagues Of Academic Games MI$228,852 Executive Director $3,000 $3,000 2023
Washington County Leadership MD$239,160 Executive Di $94,136 $82,819 2024
Pharmacy Leadership & Education MI$239,271 Board Member $6,515 $6,515 2023
Elim Childrens Center Inc MN$239,451 President/ceo $137,532 $127,884 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MI 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 MI 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 default60th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)54th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted63rd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted55th

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 (Molly Schar) 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 342 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B99), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $54,667 is reasonable (approximately the 60th 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.