Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Chris Widmaier, Executive Director / CEO ($59,112) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 58 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 24th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for 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.
| Organization | State | Total revenue | Total comp | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snake River Waterkeeper Inc | ID | $444,677 | $487,771 | 990 |
| Bluedot Institute Inc | CA | $445,571 | $71,394 | 990 |
| Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative | CO | $448,807 | $95,503 | 990 |
| Western Leaders Network | CO | $432,415 | $116,782 | 990 |
| Powder River Basin Resource Council | WY | $463,151 | $49,229 | 990 |
| Brighter Green Inc | NY | $463,273 | $36,034 | 990 |
| Minnesota Environmental Partnership | MN | $464,205 | $168,430 | 990 |
| Urban Water Institute Inc | CA | $418,696 | $46,279 | 990 |
| California Urban Forests Council | CA | $470,825 | $113,556 | 990 |
| Cape Fear River Watch | NC | $471,332 | $78,733 | 990 |
| Great Rivers Habitat Alliance | MO | $415,631 | $182,709 | 990 |
| Environmental Justice Community Action Network | NC | $475,260 | $108,629 | 990 |
| San Francisco Bicycle Coalition | CA | $413,193 | $156,000 | 990 |
| Recycling Association Of Minnesota | MN | $477,798 | $55,466 | 990 |
| Yaak Valley Forest Council | MT | $410,680 | $20,074 | 990 |
| Grace Hudowalski Charitable Trust | ME | $407,041 | $61,607 | 990 |
| Everglades Law Center Inc | FL | $483,835 | $94,873 | 990 |
| Arkansas Environmental Federation Inc | AR | $402,813 | $124,934 | 990 |
| North Carolina Climate Justice | NC | $485,773 | $56,700 | 990 |
| Maine Climate Action Now | ME | $485,922 | $70,719 | 990 |
| Energy Policy Network | TX | $490,332 | $22,936 | 990 |
| Childhood Lead Action Project | RI | $394,175 | $73,505 | 990 |
| East Michigan Environmental Action | MI | $499,608 | $110,565 | 990 |
| Intersectional Environmentalist | CA | $508,909 | $17,158 | 990 |
| Alabama Rivers Alliance Inc | AL | $521,285 | $83,700 | 990 |
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.
Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:
| Basis | Subject percentile |
|---|---|
| Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default | 24th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 26th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 24th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 21st |
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.
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
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.