Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 honor winnings to the MVT, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the award on 16 October as his latest record the album was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
Fender also took part, generating over £100k on his live tour to support 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation supported spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues caused by flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted funding support in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that helped musicians and audiences.
"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces helps the local stages, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
He is among several artists to donate his honor winnings to good deeds.
In they received the award in the mid-90s for their album their work, frontman Cocker declared that the band would donate their prize money to the charity the charity.
In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite shared her award among a few charities, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," she told the media.
In recent years, the band contributed their funds to the youth organization that supported their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally the 1994 recipients they gave their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked artist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued several small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.
