Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25k honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's small music venues.
He was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his new release his work was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, top acts like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
He also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation supported spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and sound issues.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that helped performers and fans.
"The idea that money from performances in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his honor funds to charitable organizations.
Back when they received the prize in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman the singer announced that the band would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist divided her award between a few charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a grand to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," the artist shared with the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the community center that developed their band, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year M People contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning touched somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and the second in the city were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
