Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was given the cheque on October 16 as his new release the album was declared the top album of the past year.
The musician has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots had in his early career.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his recent tour to assist 38 small stages across Britain.
The donation supported spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to issues stemming from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Other venues received monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The idea that funds from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has said.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his award winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when Pulp earned the prize in 1996 for their album their work, lead singer the singer stated that the act would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, musician she divided her award between multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
In recent years, the band contributed their funds to the youth organization that developed their band, in addition to other local music groups.
Also winners that year the group gave their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the illness.
"The victory was ample," said artist the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success touched somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued several grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under local control.
One venue in the city and the other in that location were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.
