Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25,000 honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was given the cheque on 16 October as his new release his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.
He has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his early career.
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the performances I did around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, top acts including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting over £100k on his live tour to help 38 local spots across Britain.
These funds supported venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received monetary aid in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and fans.
"The concept that revenue from shows in big venues backs the local stages, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his honor prize money to worthy causes.
Back when the band won the prize in the mid-90s for their album the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would contribute their cash to the non-profit the charity.
During 2002, musician she divided her award between several charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I contributed a grand to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," the artist told a publication.
In recent years, they contributed their funds to the youth organization that supported their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And 1994 winners they donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.
"The victory was ample," remarked vocalist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success touched somebody else's life."
Last week, the trust announced it had protected two grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into local control.
The Joiners in Southampton and the second in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the buildings.
