Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the Britain's independent concert spaces.
He was given the cheque on mid-October as his latest record his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Recently, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation assisted locations that were facing potential shutdown due to issues arising from floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received monetary aid in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and fans.
"The notion that funds from concerts in large arenas backs the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.
He is among several artists to donate his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
When they earned the prize in the mid-90s for their release the album, vocalist Cocker declared that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
That year, artist Ms Dynamite split her prize among multiple organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked updated gear," the artist told outlets.
In recent years, the band gave their winnings to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients M People gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the illness.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked vocalist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT shared it had rescued several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and the other in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by a national body and supporters who purchase "shares" in the buildings.
