Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 award cash to the MVT, which works to preserve the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was given the award on 16 October as his third album his work was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.
He has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.
He also participated, raising over £100k on his live tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across the UK.
The donation helped locations that were confronting possible closure due to issues arising from floods, fires and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Other venues received funding support in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from concerts in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.
He is among several artists to give his award prize money to charitable organizations.
In they received the award in the mid-90s for their album the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, rapper and singer she divided her award across several charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," she told outlets.
In recent years, the band contributed their prize money to the youth organization that supported their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their award to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated vocalist the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the honor. So our winning affected another person's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected a couple of local spots in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and the other in Bristol were bought under the community ownership program, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who acquire "shares" in the properties.
