Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25k honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the Britain's small live music spots.
He was given the prize on 16 October as his third album the album was declared the best record of the last 12 months.
He has decided to give the cash to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.
In the last year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous small stages across Britain.
The donation helped spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.
Other venues received funding support in upgrading amenities and gear that positively impacted artists and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
Fender is among several artists to donate his honor prize money to worthy causes.
In Pulp won the trophy in 1996 for their release Different Class, lead singer Cocker stated that the act would donate their prize money to the organization War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her bounty among several good causes, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," she shared with the media.
Previously, the band donated their funds to the local youth club that supported their act, alongside other local music groups.
And 1994 winners M People contributed their award to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," stated singer Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted the lives of others."
Last week, the trust revealed it had protected two local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in that area and the second in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the properties.
