Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 award cash to the MVT, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the award on October 16 as his latest record the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots had in his initial steps.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting over £100k on his live tour to help thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
The donation supported spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges caused by flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that helped musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from performances in big venues supports the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," the star has said.
He is not the first artist to contribute his award funds to charitable organizations.
Back when the band won the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, vocalist the singer announced that the group would donate their cash to the charity War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer she split her bounty between several charities, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required updated gear," the artist shared with the media.
Two years ago, they gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their act, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally winners that year they contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," said artist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust shared it had protected a couple of local spots in that region, by bringing them into local control.
One venue in that area and the second in that location were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.
