Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the UK's small music venues.
He was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role local spots played in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.
In the last year, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
Sam Fender also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to issues arising from floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in improving facilities and gear that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his award winnings to worthy causes.
In they earned the prize in the mid-90s for their album their work, vocalist Cocker stated that the act would give their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her award among multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.
And 1994 winners M People donated their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.
"The victory was quite enough," remarked vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had rescued several small stages in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the buildings.
