Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25,000 honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the Britain's grassroots live music spots.
Fender was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his new release the album was named the top album of the past year.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his initial steps.
"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have permanently closed – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Recently, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help independent venues.
He also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues arising from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces backs the local stages, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his award winnings to worthy causes.
When the band received the prize in 1996 for their release their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would give their cash to the organization War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer she shared her prize across a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," she told the media.
Previously, the band contributed their prize money to the community center that supported their group, as well as other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients M People gave their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the disease.
"The victory was ample," said singer the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning touched another person's life."
Recently, the MVT announced it had saved several small stages in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The first in Southampton and the second in the city were bought under the community ownership program, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
