Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 award prize money to the MVT, which functions to protect the Britain's small music venues.
He was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his recent tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
The donation supported venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted monetary aid in modernizing amenities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces helps the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
He is not the first artist to contribute his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
In Pulp received the prize in the mid-90s for their record the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would give their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite split her prize between a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," the artist told a publication.
Previously, they gave their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally 1994 winners the group gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Winning was ample," stated vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted the lives of others."
Recently, the trust announced it had protected two small stages in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.
One venue in that area and The Croft in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.
