Arts and cultural trust insurance

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From concert halls to cultural events, we’ll help protect your interests

All-in-one service for cultural institutions

Arts and cultural trusts can face some unique risks, often including rare and invaluable assets that need specialist cover. After all, what would happen if a visitor accidentally knocked over an ancient statue, or injured themselves on a tour? You'd want to be financially protected.

Why choose us?

We've been providing specialist cover for the leisure and cultural trust sector for decades. That's protection designed to mitigate the risks that come with running theatres, concert halls, art exhibitions, museums, cultural events, and more.

We understand that the cover arts and cultural trusts need can vary quite widely, depending on the activities they run. That’s why we’ll get to know your organisation in depth, to fully understand its needs. This includes a free, independent review of your current cover levels, and advice where there's room for improvement. 

We'll also be ready to advise and guide you on risk management, so your property, employees, business reputation, and the public stay protected.

What does arts and cultural trusts insurance cover?

We can help build an insurance package that includes any of the following:

If you work with customers or through a third party, you may need to arrange cover for public liability. You’ll want this cover to protect your organisation against accusations from people who get sick or injured, or die, or if their property is damaged, on your premises. Our policies also provide cover for legionella-related claims.

If you produce, sell, or repair products as part of your services, you'll need product liability insurance. This can cover legal and compensation costs if the product you sell, manufacture, or repair leads to injury or illness, or damage to property and a claim is made against you.

If your organisation employs anyone, you need to have at least £5m of employers’ liability insurance in place. Without this, you could face large fines and damage to your reputation.

Financial protection to partners, directors, and officers within a company while carrying out their duties can be vital.

Without this cover, individuals can be held personally liable to pay the cost of claims if they’re accused of wrongful acts, such as breach of health and safety legislation.

Often, these policies can be extended to include claims made against the organisation as well as an individual.
 

This protects the personal liability of individual trustees, governors, officers, and committee members who make the decisions.

With this cover in place, if a claim is made against them for a wrongful act – such as a breach of duty of care or negligence in their advice – legal defence and compensation costs can be covered. Otherwise, they’d be personally liable to pay these out of their own pocket. 
 

Offering services, knowledge, and advice runs its own unique set of risks. Professional indemnity insurance covers the cost of claims if your trust or its people are accused of negligence in advice or services that's caused someone loss. Costs covered include legal fees and compensation, and days spent in court.
 

Cyber-crime is on the increase in the UK. Specialist organised crime groups are targeting everyone, including arts and cultural trusts. Your organisation (and your reputation) could be severely affected if your data or network is compromised.

This insurance can provide effective cover against loss of income and claims made against you. It also includes access to legal advice and expertise to help minimise any damage.

As well as cover for leased or owned buildings, we offer contents, stock, and equipment insurance to protect the things inside your premises that are essential for your organisation to run.

This can cover you for damage and theft for:

  • Furniture
  • Fixtures and fittings
  • Stock
  • Specialist equipment
  • Personal items belonging to employees and visitors
  • Damage to contents in windows and displays 
  • Items used outside of the business premises in connection with your work
     

This is designed to cover builders and other trades for damage to work that's underway on site by an insured event. This includes fire, theft, flood, and malicious damage (for example, vandalism).

Building and contents policies alone don’t usually account for financial loss due to interrupted trading. With this cover in place, if an unexpected event, like a fire or a flood, stops you from operating, lost income and additional costs are covered to help you get back on track. 
 

If you have to defend yourself and your organisation in court – or take action against someone – this covers legal representation and compensation costs.

You also have access to legal assistance including employment and contract disputes, property disputes, investigations, and tax protection.

We can cover most risks, including:

Engineering inspection and breakdown insurance
This protects your computers, plant and equipment if machinery breakdown happens. It includes business interruption, as well as statutory inspections services (including for lifts and pressured vessels).

Business travel insurance 
We provide a wide range of cover for business trips, including medical expenses, repatriation, cancellation, delay, personal liability, and loss of money. Travellers can also access a 24-hour emergency helpline for total support and reassurance.

Group personal accident 
If your employees have an accident that leads to an injury or disability, or death, this provides payments to help them or their loved ones manage financially.

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Helping you to stay protected

Risk identification can be complex for cultural organisations that offer a wide range of services and facilities. That's why we offer services such as health and safety audits and advice, fire risk assessments, and physical security audits. 

We also offer a bursary that can provide targeted financial support for arts and cultural trusts' risk management.

Here's more about our risk management services.

Lady observing artwork in an empty gallery
We have a long-standing relationship and have consistently been impressed with their knowledge and friendly manner. They have a good understanding of the leisure sector and have always been willing to share insight and reflections with ourselves and our members, answering questions and explaining things in a clear and accessible manner.
Kirsty Cumming, Community Leisure UK

Dedicated claims team

Our in-house claims service, and close relationships with insurance partners, makes for an easy and efficient process. We’ll be by your side throughout, ready to answer your questions and keep things moving.

✓ In-house specialists with deep sector and insurance knowledge
✓ Here when you need us in person, by phone, or email
✓ Timely, clear, and concise communications

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Cultural institutions' insurance FAQs

Yes, our arts and cultural trust policies can provide comprehensive buildings insurance for listed buildings. A listed property is any property included on the list of ‘buildings of special architectural or historic interest’, or national heritage list. So it’s not uncommon for cultural trusts to have one or more listed buildings in their asset archive.

However, being on this list also means there are special controls in place to prevent the building being altered, extended, or demolished due to its significance. Listed properties can also be more of a challenge when it comes to insurance. This is due to the specialist requirements (and costs) of restoring the property if the unexpected happens – such as debris clearance or restoring specifically listed features.

Just get in touch with our specialist client executives for more information.
 

Yes. From paintings and sculptures to rare book collections, all assets that your organisation is financially responsible for can be covered under your arts and cultural trust insurance.

This includes cover for theft or damage to contents, stock, equipment at your premises – and whatever else is essential for your organisation to operate.

Events are a vital part of running a cultural trust. But they can also be a high-risk investment, exposing you to potentially expensive losses and liability claims if something goes wrong.

So, if you couldn’t afford to lose the money from deposits, venue hire, or any other outlays before an event, it’s a good idea to have event insurance. Trusts also have a responsibility to their staff, volunteers, and service users to make sure they’re protected for risks that come with events.

We can provide cover for either one-off or multiple events as part of your arts and cultural trust insurance package.

Ready to go?

Charities, not for profit & voluntary organisations enquiry form

To find out how we can best support your charitable organisation please complete the enquiry form below, or alternatively call a member of our specialist charity team on 0333 234 1351. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.

Small charities: If you're a small charity (income under £350,000 pa), we offer Markel's online charity insurance which is specifically designed to provide cover for smaller organisations at competitive rates.

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