Sam Fender has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the MVT, which functions to save the Britain's grassroots live music spots.
Fender was given the cheque on October 16 as his new release the album was declared the top album of the previous year.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"I would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
He also took part, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds assisted venues that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted funding support in improving facilities and gear that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The concept that revenue from concerts in big venues helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to contribute his honor prize money to worthy causes.
When they earned the trophy in 1996 for their album their work, lead singer the singer stated that the group would give their winnings to the organization the charity.
During 2002, rapper and singer she split her prize between several organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," she explained to a publication.
In recent years, they gave their prize money to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners the group donated their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.
"The victory was quite enough," stated artist the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the honor. So our success touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust revealed it had saved several small stages in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in the city and The Croft in the city were acquired under the community ownership program, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "stakes" in the properties.
