Sam Fender has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
Fender was awarded the award on October 16 as his third album People Watching was chosen as the top album of the past year.
He has opted to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his early career.
"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," said Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have shut down – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
He also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds supported spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations were granted financial assistance in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
He is not the first artist to donate his honor funds to charitable organizations.
Back when the band received the prize in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, lead singer Cocker announced that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, musician the artist divided her award across several organizations, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," she shared with the media.
Previously, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year they donated their award to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," stated artist Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected another person's life."
Last week, the trust announced it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
One venue in the city and the second in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "shares" in the properties.
