Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
Fender was awarded the prize on 16 October as his third album People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the past year.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted funding support in upgrading facilities and gear that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The concept that funds from shows in big venues helps the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to donate his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
In they received the trophy in the mid-90s for their album the album, vocalist Cocker stated that the act would contribute their cash to the charity War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her bounty across a few good causes, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the youth organization that developed their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year they donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.
"The victory was quite enough," said vocalist Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning touched the lives of others."
In the past week, the MVT revealed it had protected two small stages in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.
The first in the city and the second in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.
