Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25k award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the Britain's small music venues.
He was awarded the award on mid-October as his new release the album was named the best record of the past year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous local spots across Britain.
The donation helped spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges stemming from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in improving amenities and gear that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in major spaces backs the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.
Fender is among several artists to donate his honor winnings to good deeds.
When Pulp won the prize in 1996 for their album the album, vocalist the singer announced that the group would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer she split her award between a few charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked updated gear," she shared with the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the community center that developed their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year they contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was found to have the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated artist Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected two small stages in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
One venue in the city and the other in the city were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by a national body and music fans who buy "stakes" in the buildings.
