Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which works to save the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
He was awarded the prize on mid-October as his new release the album was declared the top album of the last 12 months.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages had in his initial steps.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous local spots across the UK.
The donation helped locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by flooding, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in modernizing facilities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and fans.
"The idea that revenue from performances in major spaces helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.
He is among several artists to contribute his award winnings to charitable organizations.
In the band received the trophy in the year 1996 for their record the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would contribute their winnings to the organization War Child.
That year, musician she split her bounty across multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed updated gear," she told a publication.
In recent years, they contributed their prize money to the youth organization that supported their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally the 1994 recipients the group gave their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was found to have the condition.
"Winning was ample," stated vocalist the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory touched another person's life."
Last week, the MVT shared it had saved a couple of local spots in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and the other in Bristol were acquired under the community ownership program, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.
