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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Ensemble Studio Theatre The La Project

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 954890358
CA · NTEE A65
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Tracey Leigh, Executive Director / CEO ($14,500) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 39 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 8th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

How comparable organizations were selected

39 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 39 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$780 total compensation of comparable organizations → $130,590 $14,500
$18,45510th
$33,62425th
$57,362Median
$68,75175th
$76,90690th
$14,500This org · 8th
p10$18,455
p25$33,624
p50$57,362
p75$68,751
p90$76,906
$14,500

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

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
Golden Thread ProductionsCA $374,921$69,934 990
Sonoma Arts LiveCA $387,782$69,934 990
Yorba Linda Spotlight Theater CompanyCA $391,469$67,568 990
New Art City TheatreCA $352,132$22,826 990
Santa Monica Theatre GuildCA $397,778$26,823 990
Theatre FortyCA $343,128$58,058 990
Skylight Theatre CompanyCA $405,316$82,561 990
Jean Shelton FoundationCA $338,712$14,570 990
Childrens Musical Theatreworks IncCA $336,869$11,656 990
Theatre Rhinoceros IncCA $336,121$74,282 990
Playwrights Foundation IncCA $409,712$55,414 990
Los Angeles TheatresportsCA $333,547$780 990
Musical Youth Artist Repertory TheatreCA $332,871$75,955 990
Chico Theater Company IncCA $412,854$130,590 990
Center Stage Theatrical ProductionsCA $419,146$64,774 990
Rocklin Community TheatreCA $422,636$22,057 990
South Orange County Community TheatreCA $426,433$8,516 990
Lights Up Theater IncCA $315,600$72,848 990
Theatre DybbukCA $314,939$63,280 990
Shakespeare By The SeaCA $431,335$59,536 990
Cyt Tri-valley IncCA $433,816$39,294 990
Silicon Valley ShakespeareCA $435,774$40,000 990
Ojai Playwrights ConferenceCA $439,363$38,852 990
Rogue Artists EnsembleCA $302,062$29,990 990
Yard Theater IncCA $296,182$37,257 990

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 CA 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 default8th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)8th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted8th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted8th

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 (Tracey Leigh) 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 39 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A65) + CA + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $14,500 is reasonable (approximately the 8th 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.