Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award winnings to the MVT, which works to preserve the UK's small music venues.
Fender was given the cheque on October 16 as his third album People Watching was declared the best record of the last 12 months.
He has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part small stages had in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.
He also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation supported venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations were granted funding support in improving facilities and gear that helped performers and audiences.
"The idea that funds from shows in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.
Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his honor funds to charitable organizations.
When Pulp won the prize in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist the singer declared that the band would contribute their prize money to the organization the charity.
In 2002, musician she divided her prize among a few charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," she told the media.
Two years ago, the band donated their funds to the local youth club that supported their band, in addition to other local music groups.
Also winners that year M People gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," stated artist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory touched somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust revealed it had rescued several local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.
The first in the city and the second in the city were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the buildings.
