Community Garden Insurance

Community Gardens improve our neighborhoods by providing healthy foods, beautification, environmental education, or simply a common space for gardening. To ensure that a garden can operate long-term, it is important to protect the organization and its members from potential loss through garden insurance.

This non-profit business owners policy includes general liability, property insurance, and an optional directors and officers liability coverage.

Community Garden Claims Examples

General Liability Claims

A child of a member gardener walking in the garden accidentally caught his hand in the wire gate on the property. After a trip to the hospital for stitches and a tetanus shot, his family has incurred $2,000 for medical services provided by the hospital.

A passerby trips on a piece of gardening equipment left on the sidewalk of the garden’s property. The nasty fall resulted in a leg fracture and the passerby successfully sued the organization for $20,000.

The organization sells fruits and vegetables they’ve grown to help support the nonprofit organization. Unfortunately, multiple consumers suffer food poisoning and blame contaminated produce. As a result, they file a products/bodily injury claim lawsuit alleging severe food poisoning.

Property Damage Claims

Vandals break into the garden’s property and cause $5,000 worth of damage to the shed housing their gardening equipment.

A windstorm uproots a large tree on the property and its fall causes significant damage to the fencing surrounding the garden. It costs $10,000 to repair the damaged property and debris removal costs an additional $5,000.

Directors & Officers Liability/Employment Practices Claims

A foundation that supports programs for special-needs children awards a grant to a nonprofit garden. The garden had outlined in their proposed program that it would provide such children education and access to gardening. When the organization realizes the additional cost and measures they need to have in place to make their garden more accessible, they decide to forgo the initial project and use the funds from the grant for another purpose. The foundation discovers this and sues for misappropriation of funds.

Over a period of several months, a garden member has been using pesticides in violation of the garden’s bylaws. After several warnings from the board, the member refuses to comply. The board revokes their gardening privileges and removes them as a member. In response, the member sues the board alleging discrimination. Defending the board’s decision in court costs them $156,000.

Brunswick Advantage for Community Gardens

Brunswick Companies offers Community Garden insurance policies from a wide range of top ranked carriers. With over 35 years of commercial experience, we have the know-how and industry contacts to match your needs with the plan that best suits your risk management and financial goals.