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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Seattle Architectural Foundation

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 911205105
WA · NTEE A400
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of James Bourey, Executive Director / CEO ($78,875) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 40 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 85th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: James Bourey — reported title “Executive Director”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

40 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 40 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$23 total compensation of comparable organizations → $110,675 $78,875
$11,29110th
$23,55625th
$39,240Median
$64,63275th
$83,97190th
$78,875This org · 85th
p10$11,291
p25$23,556
p50$39,240
p75$64,632
p90$83,971
$78,875

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 WA 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
Studio Gallery Association Inc DC$174,671 Executive Director $33,666 $32,998 2024
Hutchinson Art Association Inc KS$173,110 Executive Director $31,431 $36,949 2025
Public Trust PA$169,980 Executive Director And Ex Officio $25,000 $27,846 2024
Village Art Club Inc AR$182,528 Director, Gallery Facilita $2,106 $2,644 2024
Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center NM$186,150 Retail Manag $44,386 $53,322 2024
Riverside Arts Center IL$186,596 Frmr Exec Dir $31,706 $35,845 2023
Carmel Gallery Alliance CA$165,024 Chief Executive Officer $15,932 $15,366 2024
Indy Convergence Inc IN$187,607 Managing Director $12,445 $15,092 2023
The Society Of Arts And Crafts MA$163,371 Executive Di $95,762 $93,639 2025
Wartists Inc VA$189,850 President $29,000 $31,275 2024
Photo Art & Science Foundation MO$158,544 Executive Director $52,500 $63,943 2023
Yeiser Art Center Inc KY$198,758 Exec Director $42,921 $53,027 2023
Waterworks Art Museum MT$152,803 Executive Di $31,091 $38,539 2023
The Heidelberg Project MI$151,440 Executive Di $96,000 $110,675 2024
Japanese Embroidery Center Inc GA$201,901 Bd Of Directors $59,629 $66,967 2024
Project Snap MI$205,925 Ceo $95,784 $110,426 2024
Dane Arts Mural Arts Inc WI$143,946 Executive Director $61,526 $73,889 2023
Name Publications Inc FL$143,624 President $6,000 $6,296 2024
Alleghany Highlands VA$143,122 Executive Di $36,790 $39,676 2024
Michigan Fiber Festival Inc MI$142,147 Festival Coordinator $17,779 $20,497 2024
Nature's Best Photography Fund Inc VA$213,600 Director / President $10,984 $11,846 2024
Ten Thousand Villages NE$215,115 Executive Di $52,000 $64,314 2023
Frontline Arts NJ$218,346 Fmr Ex Director $62,423 $62,251 2024
Artlink Inc IN$219,091 Executive Dir. $61,908 $72,920 2024
Filter Photo Nfp IL$224,054 Executive Director $35,338 $38,804 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to WA cost of living and 2024 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 WA 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 default85th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)93rd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted88th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted83rd

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 (James Bourey) 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 40 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A40), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $78,875 is reasonable (approximately the 85th 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.