Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
He was presented with the award on October 16 as his latest record the album was declared the best record of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
He also participated, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds supported venues that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges caused by water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted funding support in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The idea that funds from shows in large arenas supports the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
Fender is among several artists to contribute his honor funds to good deeds.
In the band earned the award in the year 1996 for their release their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would give their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
That year, musician she divided her bounty among a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.
Two years ago, the band gave their prize money to the community center that developed their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year they donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the illness.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked singer the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success impacted another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued two grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The first in that area and the other in the city were acquired under the community ownership program, which is funded by a national body and music fans who purchase "shares" in the venues.
