Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25k honor prize money to the trust for venues, which works to preserve the UK's grassroots live music spots.
Fender was given the prize on October 16 as his third album the album was named the best record of the previous year.
The musician has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues had in his initial steps.
"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately 16% of the total UK scene.
In the last year, top acts like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across Britain.
The donation supported locations that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges arising from water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and sound issues.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and audiences.
"The idea that revenue from shows in large arenas supports the local stages, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
He is among several artists to contribute his award winnings to good deeds.
In they earned the prize in 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
In 2002, musician the artist split her prize between multiple good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," the artist told a publication.
In recent years, they gave their prize money to the community center that supported their group, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally 1994 winners M People contributed their award to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked singer Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched the lives of others."
In the past week, the MVT shared it had rescued a couple of small stages in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in the city were acquired under the community ownership scheme, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.
