Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
He was presented with the award on mid-October as his new release the album was declared the top album of the past year.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function small stages had in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.
He also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.
The money supported venues that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties arising from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Other venues received funding support in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that funds from performances in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his honor prize money to good deeds.
In Pulp won the award in 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Cocker announced that the act would contribute their winnings to the charity War Child.
During 2002, artist she shared her award across multiple organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," she explained to a publication.
Previously, the band gave their prize money to the community center that developed their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year the group contributed their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said artist Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched the lives of others."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected two local spots in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by a national body and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
