Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25k honor cash to the MVT, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
He was awarded the prize on October 16 as his new release his work was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
He has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages played in his initial steps.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.
Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
The money supported locations that were confronting possible closure due to issues caused by flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted funding support in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The idea that money from performances in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
Fender is not the first artist to contribute his honor prize money to worthy causes.
In the band received the trophy in 1996 for their record the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.
In 2002, artist the artist shared her award between several charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required updated gear," she shared with the media.
Previously, Ezra Collective gave their prize money to the youth organization that supported their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners the group donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the condition.
"Winning was quite enough," said singer Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success affected the lives of others."
Recently, the MVT shared it had saved a couple of small stages in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in that location were acquired under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
