Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25,000 honor winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
Fender was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.
He has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.
Recently, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
He also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to support 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation assisted venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues stemming from water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.
Other venues were granted funding support in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and audiences.
"The idea that revenue from shows in large arenas supports the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
In the band received the award in the mid-90s for their record the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would donate their cash to the organization War Child.
That year, artist the artist split her award across several good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," she explained to the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their band, alongside other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients the group gave their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked vocalist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected several small stages in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in that area and the second in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
