Insurance & Liability

Insurance is a financial risk management tool that helps protect against unexpected financial losses; it does not mitigate the risk itself. This is why insurance is only one piece of the safety and risk management puzzle, albeit an important one. 

The CSU has a number of insurance programs to meet the needs of the campus and research community through the California State University Risk Management Authority (CSURMA). Sponsored Programs Foundation (SPF) participates in CSURMA’s Auxiliary Organizations Risk Management Alliance (AORMA) program, which was established to provide group purchase comprehensive business insurance coverages for the CSU’s non-profit Auxiliary Organizations. SPF’s coverage as an auxiliary is separate and distinct from the campus coverage programs. 

SPF coverages include general liability, workers’ compensation, property, crime, international travel insurance, auto physical damage, participant accident insurance and many others. Details about insurance and some key specific coverages most relevant to research project activities can be found below.

An insurance endorsement is a legally binding change to an insurance policy that can add, remove, or alter the coverage. It is important to look at the endorsements attached to insurance as the certificate of insurance is not legally binding and conveys no rights. The most common requests for endorsements are for Additional Insured coverage, Waiver of Subrogation, Primary/Non-contributory coverage, and Notice of Cancellation. This is most likely to come up for research activities if you are performing work on properties or locations not owned/controlled by the University or SPF. 

When research activities or events occur off-campus, it is common for funders, facility owners/managers, and other third parties we’re working with to request evidence that SPF has sufficient insurance coverage. Some agreements/contracts will also require endorsements such as “Additional Insured” to extend coverage to the entity during the research activities or events occurring off-campus. Because the State of California has elected to be self-insured for the majority of its liability exposures, SPF may provide a letter of self-insurance, Certificates of Coverage, or endorsements demonstrating coverage or providing additional coverage as required in contracts.

Regardless of where you are in the process, the SPF team is here to help obtain any necessary evidence of coverage and related documents from our self-insurance broker. If a COI is required during the pre-award stage, SPF will take care of everything. If a COI or other evidence of coverage is required during your grant implementation, SPF will support you through the process as outlined below. Most often during your award, insurance needs arise when hosting off-campus events or catering, conducting research fieldwork on non-university owned property, performing higher risk activities, or other types of agreements with external parties where there is any question about liability or insurance. 

There are two routes to requesting a COI during your post-award activities:

• You can reach out to your Grant Analyst to discuss what is needed, and they can submit the request for insurance on your behalf to risk-management@humboldt.edu, or 
• You can submit your request for insurance directly to risk-management@humboldt.edu 

Whether you submit the request directly or your Grant Analysts submit on your behalf, our risk management team will need the following information:

1. The SPF Fund Number associated with the request
2. A completed Insurance Request Form, which provides the details of the request
3. A copy of the signed agreement/contract associated, if the entity must be Additional Insured. 

Requests must be submitted to risk-management@humboldt.edu at least 5 business days in advance of an event or contract deadline.

The SPF General Liability Insurance covers third party claims against SPF for bodily injury and/or property damage. Evidence of general liability coverage is the most common insurance evidence requested when engaging third parties who require a COI (described above), though evidence of other coverage may also be needed depending on the type of work being performed. Additional types of insurance coverage that are more specific and often supplemental to general liability are described below.

Projects and Departments may be responsible for paying claims within the deductible amount that arise from their activities, events, and operations. 

CSURMA’s Foreign Travel Insurance Program (FTIP) is required under CSU policy and covers all employees and students of the CSU and its auxiliary organizations like SPF when traveling outside of the United States and Puerto Rico on University or Auxiliary business. Coverage includes, but is not limited to, general liability, medical and emergency evacuation as well as repatriation under the risk of war. FTIP does not cover auto liability, so anyone renting a vehicle during international travel is required to obtain the auto liability coverage available through the rental company. 

Visit the International Travel and Foreign Travel Insurance Program pages for more information.

Individuals who register as SPF Volunteers are eligible for Workers' Compensation coverage while performing approved volunteer activities, as long as they have a current, signed Volunteer Form on file. SPF Volunteer Forms must be renewed annually to ensure continued coverage.

Supplemental Insurance Coverage: Some activities may require additional or supplemental coverage as they are outside the scope of our general liability, whether it’s due to higher risk associated with the activity or very specific needs that are better covered with a separate policy tailored to meet the risk mitigation needs. Frequently, SPF has additional insurance umbrella programs that can cover your activities for a relatively lower cost. If no programs currently exist, a policy may need to be procured specifically for your project, which may have a slightly higher cost. Examples of the types of supplemental coverage that may be appropriate for your project:

Prescribed Fire/Burn Liability Insurance, Participant Accident Insurance (PAI), Supplemental Auto/Vehicle Insurance, Inland Marine Insurance, Drone Insurance, Fine Arts, Artifacts, and Archives Insurance, Cybersecurity Certificates, Offroad Insurance, Landowner Access Insurance, SAM Coverage, and many more.

SPF is ready to support your programs and events with all types of insurance requirements, especially if you are conducting potentially higher-risk activities or have insurance needs that are not listed here. Please reach out to risk-management@humboldt.edu for assistance.