Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the Britain's grassroots live music spots.
The star was given the award on mid-October as his third album the album was named the best record of the previous year.
He has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
He also joined in, raising over £100k on his recent tour to assist numerous small stages across the UK.
These funds helped spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations received financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The concept that funds from shows in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
He is far from the only musician to contribute his award winnings to charitable organizations.
In the band earned the trophy in 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Cocker stated that the group would give their winnings to the organization War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her prize across several charities, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with the media.
Previously, they contributed their funds to the local youth club that supported their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also 1994 winners the group donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.
"The victory was ample," said singer the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust revealed it had saved a couple of small stages in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.
The Joiners in the city and The Croft in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who purchase "shares" in the venues.
