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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Gillwell Foundation

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 844716050
NE · NTEE O11
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Chris Mehaffey, Executive Director / CEO ($57,264) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 22 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 68th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Chris Mehaffey — reported title “SECRETARY/EXECUTIVE DIRECT”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

22 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 22 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$2,135 total compensation of comparable organizations → $135,882 $57,264
$9,64810th
$14,99625th
$22,319Median
$63,78175th
$109,18390th
$57,264This org · 68th
p10$9,648
p25$14,996
p50$22,319
p75$63,781
p90$109,183
$57,264

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 NE 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
Journeymen Institute WA$353,181 Executive Director $78,571 $65,403 2023
Friends Of The Children - OR$358,161 Executive Director $21,321 $17,881 2024
La Fencing Academy Of Pomona CA$360,625 President $21,400 $16,688 2024
Friends Of St Lawrence-watts Youth Center CA$363,431 Executive Director $85,234 $64,753 2025
Will Work For Kids Nonprofit Group Inc FL$325,436 Director $11,253 $9,547 2024
Bgcco Milo-grogan Holding Company OH$373,161 Chief Executive Officer $31,794 $30,411 2024
North Yellowstone Education Foundation MT$383,677 Executive Dir. $45,000 $45,100 2023
Girl Scouts Of Southern Arizona AZ$390,651 Ceo $16,995 $14,760 2024
Kc United Youth Family Sports & Education Association KS$299,174 Program Director $16,368 $16,441 2023
Boys & Girls Club And Family Center Of Bristol Inc CT$400,000 Chief Executive Officer $160,478 $135,882 2024
Right From The Start GA$296,138 Executive Director $67,031 $60,866 2024
Franklin-simpson Baseball Boosters Inc KY$284,055 Treasurer $2,200 $2,135 2024
Clearwater Aquatic Team Inc FL$270,228 President $29,802 $24,632 2025
Friends Of Explorer Post 58 OR$427,852 Executive Director $127,547 $110,127 2023
Free Enterprise Foundation Inc IL$429,221 Secretary $5,205 $4,758 2023
Gsnetx Stem Center Of Excellence TX$441,487 Ceo $36,402 $32,884 2024
Sisters Unchained Inc MA$449,198 Executive Director $124,069 $100,684 2024
Friends Of The Girl Scouts' Trust CA$449,242 Executive Director $25,655 $20,006 2024
Camp Twin Lakes Foundation Inc GA$456,940 Chief Executive Officer $17,296 $15,705 2024
Big Brothers Big Sisters Of Miami FL$460,576 President & Ceo $12,086 $10,556 2023
Girl Scouts Of Southern Arizona AZ$473,322 Ceo $16,995 $14,760 2024
Building Futures Inc CA$482,915 President & Ceo $173,481 $135,282 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to NE 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 NE 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 default68th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)68th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted0th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted91st

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 (Chris Mehaffey) 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 22 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (O11), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $57,264 is reasonable (approximately the 68th 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.