Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
Fender was awarded the prize on mid-October as his new release his work was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots played in his early career.
"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the shows I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported locations that were facing possible closure due to challenges caused by water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Other venues received financial assistance in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The idea that funds from performances in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his honor funds to good deeds.
In they received the trophy in the mid-90s for their release the album, frontman Cocker declared that the band would contribute their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her prize across a few good causes, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required updated gear," she told outlets.
Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the local youth club that developed their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients M People contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," said vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory affected another person's life."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had protected several local spots in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
One venue in the city and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership program, which is funded by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the buildings.
