Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which works to protect the Britain's independent music venues.
Fender was awarded the prize on mid-October as his third album People Watching was chosen as the top album of the past year.
He has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues had in his beginning days.
"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
He also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds assisted spaces that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.
Some locations obtained funding support in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The idea that money from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.
He is among several artists to donate his award funds to good deeds.
When Pulp earned the prize in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, frontman Cocker declared that the act would give their winnings to the organization the charity.
In 2002, artist she divided her prize among several charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a grand to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," she shared with outlets.
Previously, the band gave their winnings to the youth organization that supported their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year they contributed their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was sufficient," said artist Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to local control.
The first in Southampton and The Croft in the city were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who buy "shares" in the venues.
