Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25,000 honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to preserve the UK's small music venues.
The star was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the best record of the past year.
He has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the performances I played around the area, and further afield, when I was beginning," said the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money assisted venues that were dealing with possible closure due to issues arising from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from shows in big venues supports the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to contribute his award prize money to worthy causes.
When Pulp received the prize in 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman the singer declared that the group would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
In 2002, musician the artist split her prize between several good causes, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.
Previously, they gave their prize money to the local youth club that developed their band, alongside other independent music bodies.
Additionally the 1994 recipients the group contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was sufficient," stated vocalist Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success impacted the lives of others."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had rescued two grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
