Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the Britain's independent music venues.
He was given the cheque on mid-October as his latest record his work was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages played in his early career.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.
Fender also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues stemming from water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Other venues obtained monetary aid in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The notion that funds from concerts in big venues backs the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to contribute his award prize money to good deeds.
When the band earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, frontman the singer stated that the band would contribute their winnings to the organization War Child.
In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite shared her bounty across a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," the artist explained to outlets.
In recent years, the band donated their funds to the community center that nurtured their act, in addition to other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients the group contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.
"The victory was ample," stated artist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the honor. So our victory affected the lives of others."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected two local spots in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in Southampton and the other in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by a national body and music fans who buy "stakes" in the venues.
