Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 honor prize money to the MVT, which works to protect the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
He was presented with the prize on mid-October as his latest record his work was chosen as the best record of the past year.
He has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
He also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds supported venues that were confronting possible closure due to challenges caused by floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.
Other venues received monetary aid in improving amenities and gear that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The idea that money from concerts in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.
Fender is not the first artist to give his award funds to worthy causes.
In they earned the trophy in 1996 for their record the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would contribute their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
That year, musician the artist split her prize across multiple organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," the artist shared with a publication.
Previously, they donated their winnings to the community center that nurtured their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally the 1994 recipients M People gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"The victory was quite enough," remarked singer the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had rescued a couple of local spots in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
The Joiners in Southampton and the other in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
