Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
He was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album the album was declared the top album of the previous year.
The musician has decided to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues had in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the area, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," said Sam Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.
He also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous local spots across Britain.
These funds helped venues that were facing imminent closure due to challenges caused by water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Some locations received funding support in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and fans.
"The concept that money from concerts in large arenas backs the independent spots, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his award funds to charitable organizations.
In the band received the prize in the mid-90s for their release their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her award between several good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," she told a publication.
Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the community center that nurtured their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients they contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the condition.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked vocalist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted another person's life."
Recently, the MVT shared it had rescued a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in Southampton and The Croft in the city were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the venues.
