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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Compass Arts Creativity Project Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 842932313
NY · NTEE A25
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Gina Samardge, Executive Director / CEO ($56,109) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 133 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 61st percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

133 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 133 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$170 total compensation of comparable organizations → $152,016 $56,109
$12,14010th
$28,13425th
$49,815Median
$69,32075th
$85,87690th
$56,109This org · 61st
p10$12,140
p25$28,134
p50$49,815
p75$69,320
p90$85,876
$56,109

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

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
Stemarts LabNM $243,395$44,643 990
North Fourth Art CenterNM $247,942$83,284 990
Girls Rock CharlotteNC $248,411$36,059 990
Art AccessUT $248,757$81,641 990
Active CulturesCA $249,844$70,953 990
The Peacock Players IncNH $250,630$62,490 990
Kalamazoo Book Arts CenterMI $251,216$44,512 990
Destination ArtCA $237,453$4,357 990
B H Foxy Foundation IncCA $235,814$53,234 990
Belvedere SeriesVA $254,087$34,352 990
Be Frank FoundationCO $255,229$75,840 990
Emerald Coast Honors Orchestra Foundation IncFL $256,242$4,174 990
Bob Mizer FoundationCA $256,316$46,633 990
The Institute For Art And OlfactionCA $257,075$42,943 990
Los Angeles Theatre Academy IncCA $231,447$25,432 990
Miano Academy Of Art IncFL $257,897$71,495 990
Amp Up ArtsAL $230,440$19,479 990
Cincinnati Music & Wellness CoalitionOH $230,257$58,606 990
Borealis Art GuildMN $259,168$9,006 990
Hamilton-garrett Music And Arts Academy IncMA $229,235$86,962 990
Photography Without Borders IncPA $260,386$94,939 990
Greenwich Art Society IncCT $260,507$58,376 990
Southwest Judges NetworkCA $228,462$931 990
Utah Youth Symphony Orchestra AssocUT $260,676$3,836 990
Hunakai Studio Of Fine Arts IncMA $261,687$66,190 990

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 NY 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 default61st
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)65th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted61st
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted58th

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 (Gina Samardge) 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 133 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A25), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $56,109 is reasonable (approximately the 61st 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.