Gallagher Bassett began its service to religious and faith-based organizations working with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago following a tragic 1958 primary school fire that killed 92 students and three nuns. The losses took a toll on the community and the parish.
Committed to helping the community and ensuring such a tragedy would never occur again, Gallagher Bassett worked with the Archdiocese to inspect all other buildings within the parish for safety and created a new collaborative model of insurance and claims handling. Since then, we've expanded our religious and faith-based solutions worldwide.
Today, faith-based organizations face many different risk exposures. Our dedicated team works with leaders to identify and discuss potential hazards — from everyday incidents like slips, trips, and falls, to concerns about sexual abuse and active shooter scenarios — and develop plans that mitigate risks and protect congregations, volunteers, board members, and employees.
Some of the entities we serve include:
62
Clients
9,742
New Claims
14,644
Claims Handled
$885 Million
Total Incurred
Figures represent 2023 year-end results and include all coverages.
This video shares the origins of Gallagher Bassett following the 1958 fire that devastated Our Lady of Angels school in Chicago.
The tragedy inspired Gallagher leadership to partner with Sterling Bassett and provide the Catholic church with comprehensive insurance, claims handling, and risk management consulting services.
"At the heart of what Gallagher Bassett does is respond to people that are really hurting...that's a real emotional gut thing, and we can never forget that's what we're dealing with." — J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr.
Claims handling solutions that help reduce the cost of risk
While we handle all types of insurance claims, some specific liabilities we manage for our religious and faith-based organization clients include:
Risk management programs for the unique concerns of religious organizations
In addition to claims management, we partner with clients to assist with workplace safety, exposure mitigation, reduction of potential liability claims, and compliance with state and federal regulations. Our Risk Control Consulting Service (RCCS) has served religious and faith-based organizations since 1962. Some key elements of our solutions are:
Innovative solutions that address your unique needs
Our Field Consultants leverage our award-winning RMIS Luminos extensively to trend out losses and recommend remedies that minimize the frequency and/or severity of losses. With a wealth of data available, the insights and decisions driven through this technology empower our team to help our partners with their loss prevention goals. Key features of our technology suite that are relevant for religious and faith-based organizations include:
Indoor environmental contaminants and faulty renovation or construction practices represent an ongoing challenge in schools, churches, and associated educational and religious facilities. Many of these buildings were constructed at a time when the hazards of certain construction materials were not fully known, and now the materials must be addressed to maintain a safe environment for building inhabitants.
Our Environmental Health & Safety services are curated to meet your specific needs. Some of our solutions include:
Make Gallagher Bassett your claims and risk management partner
Our global resources, innovative solutions, and trusted professionals can give you confidence in the ongoing future of your missions in the communities and congregations you serve.
