Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the Britain's grassroots music venues.
Fender was given the cheque on October 16 as his third album the album was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to challenges caused by flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The concept that money from concerts in big venues backs the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
Fender is among several artists to give his award winnings to charitable organizations.
When Pulp won the prize in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, frontman Cocker stated that the band would donate their prize money to the charity the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her prize across multiple charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed updated gear," the artist shared with outlets.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the youth organization that developed their band, alongside other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients the group contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the disease.
"Receiving the award was ample," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning touched the lives of others."
Last week, the trust announced it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to local control.
The Joiners in Southampton and the other in that location were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by a national body and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.
