Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 award winnings to the MVT, which functions to save the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
He was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his latest record the album was named the best record of the past year.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots had in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits smaller concert halls.
He also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help 38 small stages across the UK.
The donation helped spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges caused by floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Other venues were granted monetary aid in modernizing facilities and gear that helped artists and audiences.
"The notion that funds from shows in large arenas helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to contribute his award funds to charitable organizations.
Back when the band won the prize in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would donate their cash to the charity War Child.
In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite shared her award among a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told outlets.
In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
And winners that year the group contributed their prize to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," stated singer Small. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success affected another person's life."
Recently, the MVT announced it had saved several small stages in that region, by transferring them to local control.
The first in that area and the other in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the venues.
