Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k honor prize money to the MVT, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
He was given the cheque on October 16 as his latest record the album was declared the top album of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his early career.
"I would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, generating over £100k on his recent tour to assist numerous small stages across the UK.
The money helped venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues caused by flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations obtained funding support in improving facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in big venues backs the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to give his award winnings to good deeds.
In the band earned the prize in 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist Cocker declared that the band would contribute their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her prize between several charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I gave a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," she explained to the media.
Two years ago, they contributed their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year M People contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"The victory was ample," remarked artist the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust announced it had protected several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under public stewardship.
The Joiners in the city and the second in the city were acquired under the community ownership scheme, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
