Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the Britain's independent concert spaces.
The star was presented with the prize on mid-October as his latest record the album was chosen as the best record of the past year.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function local spots had in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.
Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.
Other venues were granted financial assistance in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from shows in big venues supports the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.
He is not the first artist to contribute his award funds to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp earned the trophy in 1996 for their record their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would give their cash to the organization War Child.
During 2002, artist she split her prize between a few charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," she explained to the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their winnings to the youth organization that developed their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients the group contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked singer the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success touched another person's life."
Recently, the MVT announced it had rescued a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in the city and the second in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition program, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the venues.
