Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25,000 honor prize money to the trust for venues, which works to save the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
Fender was given the cheque on 16 October as his third album People Watching was named the outstanding release of the past year.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across Britain.
The money helped venues that were facing imminent closure due to issues arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces obtained funding support in upgrading amenities and gear that helped performers and fans.
"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.
Fender is among several artists to donate his award funds to charitable organizations.
Back when Pulp earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their release their work, lead singer Cocker declared that the act would contribute their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
During 2002, rapper and singer the artist shared her bounty across several organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," she explained to the media.
Previously, they contributed their funds to the youth organization that developed their group, alongside other local music groups.
Also winners that year the group gave their award to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was ample," said artist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory impacted the lives of others."
Recently, the MVT announced it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and the other in that location were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.
