Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
The star was given the cheque on mid-October as his latest record his work was declared the top album of the previous year.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages played in his beginning days.
"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Recently, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to support the industry, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
The money supported venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and sound issues.
Additional spaces obtained funding support in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that revenue from concerts in big venues helps the local stages, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
The musician is far from the only musician to give his honor funds to good deeds.
In Pulp earned the award in the mid-90s for their record their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would contribute their cash to the charity the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer she divided her bounty among several charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," the artist explained to outlets.
In recent years, the band donated their winnings to the community center that nurtured their act, alongside other local music groups.
And winners that year they contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was ample," stated singer the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT shared it had protected two grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.
One venue in that area and the second in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.
