Crans-Montana victims’ foundation seeks funds for long-term recovery

Around 70 applications now sit with the Beloved Foundation, which was created to support people affected by the New Year’s Day fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana. Some cases have been approved, while others remain under review. Director Christian Cardon said the foundation has refused none so far and has already distributed several tens of thousands of francs.

The figures show how the emergency has shifted into a longer phase of recovery. The fire killed 41 people and injured 115, leaving survivors and families with medical, psychological, educational, and financial needs that can continue long after hospital treatment ends. The foundation was established in March 2026 at the initiative of the Canton of Valais.

Its work comes as Swiss patients return to everyday life and public attention moves away from the disaster. Applications now include requests from young people seeking professional development, as well as projects proposed by victims’ parents and help for people facing financial hardship since the fire. The organisation says it will focus on gaps in existing support, with rehabilitation and reintegration among its central tasks.

CHF 24 million has been pledged to the foundation, drawing support from the cantons of Valais and Vaud, the municipality of Crans-Montana, and private donors. That funding gives Beloved a substantial base, but its leaders say the scale of the needs will become clearer over time.

Foundation president Doris Leuthard said the money is financing rehabilitation programmes designed to help patients recover and reintegrate into society. Such programmes can involve sustained medical and psychological care, education, and assistance with returning to work or training. The source material does not provide a breakdown of the fund by programme or beneficiary category.

Cardon said young people have approached the foundation about professional development. Families have also brought forward projects of their own, while some people have experienced financial difficulties since the tragedy. These requests point to a support system that extends beyond immediate compensation or treatment.

The foundation’s approach is intended to complement Switzerland’s existing framework. Beloved says it will not duplicate benefits available under the Federal Act on Victim Support, known by its German acronym OHG and in French as LAVI. It will intervene where that statutory support leaves a shortfall.

The foundation expects recovery to last for years, and that timetable is driving its appeal for more money. Leuthard said needs will evolve and persist in the long term. Cardon linked the request directly to the physical and psychological consequences of the fire.

The appeal comes even though Beloved has a budget of CHF 24 million in donations and pledges. The foundation has not published a target for additional fundraising, nor has it disclosed how much remains available. It has also not released a detailed account of the amounts awarded to individual applicants.

That information matters because the current caseload may represent only an early measure of demand. Some survivors may require further assistance as rehabilitation progresses. Others may face delayed effects in education, employment, family finances, or mental health. Applications from young people seeking professional development indicate that the consequences can affect life planning as well as immediate recovery.

The foundation’s directors are therefore presenting the fund as a multi-year instrument. Its role will be assessed alongside public victim support, medical services, and other forms of assistance rather than as a replacement for them. The coming years will test whether Switzerland can maintain that coordination after the first wave of donations and public attention has passed.

The next phase will be measured in recoveries, qualifications, and stable family finances, rather than in the first emergency payments. Beloved says its priorities are education, psychological support, and financial assistance for families in need. Those commitments place the foundation within a wider Swiss network of cantonal services, victim-support institutions, healthcare providers, and private donors.

For Valais, the response carries a local responsibility. The canton initiated the foundation after the Crans-Montana disaster and is one of the public contributors. Vaud has also pledged funding, reflecting the wider impact of a tragedy that affected people beyond the resort town. The municipality of Crans-Montana and private donors have joined that effort.

Cardon’s message is that the existing CHF 24 million cannot be treated as a final settlement. The foundation has received no refusals so far, but the application process is still developing. As survivors pursue treatment, return to education, or rebuild household finances, their needs may become more complex and less visible.

Beloved’s fundraising appeal will keep the focus on whether support remains available after the immediate crisis fades. For Switzerland, the case offers a practical test of how public systems and philanthropy can work together when recovery extends well beyond the disaster site.