Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25k honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the UK's small live music spots.
The star was presented with the award on 16 October as his third album People Watching was declared the best record of the past year.
He has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, top acts including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
He also participated, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation helped locations that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges arising from water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Some locations received funding support in modernizing infrastructure and gear that helped musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that funds from performances in major spaces backs the local stages, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has said.
Fender is among several artists to give his award funds to good deeds.
In Pulp won the trophy in 1996 for their release their work, frontman Cocker stated that the band would donate their cash to the charity War Child.
That year, musician she shared her prize between several charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," she explained to a publication.
Previously, they donated their funds to the community center that developed their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients they gave their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," said vocalist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected the lives of others."
Last week, the trust shared it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The first in that area and The Croft in that location were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is funded by a national body and supporters who purchase "shares" in the venues.
