Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 honor prize money to the MVT, which operates to preserve the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was presented with the prize on October 16 as his third album People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages had in his initial steps.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds assisted locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties arising from water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Other venues obtained funding support in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that revenue from shows in large arenas helps the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his award prize money to good deeds.
When Pulp earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, frontman Cocker stated that the group would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her bounty across multiple charities, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.
Previously, they contributed their winnings to the youth organization that supported their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year they donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the condition.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said vocalist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning touched somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved several local spots in the South East, by transferring them to local control.
The first in that area and the second in that location were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who purchase "shares" in the properties.
