Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the UK's small live music spots.
Fender was given the award on 16 October as his latest record the album was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role local spots had in his beginning days.
"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 small stages across Britain.
These funds supported spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations received funding support in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The concept that revenue from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," the star has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to give his honor winnings to charitable organizations.
In Pulp earned the award in 1996 for their album their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would donate their winnings to the organization the charity.
That year, artist the artist split her bounty across several organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," she explained to a publication.
In recent years, the band contributed their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their act, as well as other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients M People contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"The victory was ample," stated vocalist the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT announced it had protected several grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.
One venue in that area and the other in the city were acquired under the community ownership program, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.
