Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
Fender was awarded the award on October 16 as his latest record his work was declared the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his early career.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist 38 small stages across the UK.
The donation helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.
Some locations received monetary aid in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that helped musicians and fans.
"The concept that funds from concerts in major spaces supports the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has said.
He is far from the only musician to give his award funds to worthy causes.
Back when the band earned the prize in the mid-90s for their record the album, frontman the singer announced that the group would give their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite shared her award between several organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," she told outlets.
Two years ago, they gave their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other local music groups.
Also 1994 winners M People donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the disease.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated vocalist Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust revealed it had protected several small stages in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
The Joiners in that area and the second in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the venues.
