Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the Britain's small music venues.
Fender was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his latest record his work was named the best record of the last 12 months.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the area, and beyond, when I was just getting going," said Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
He also took part, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds assisted locations that were facing imminent closure due to issues stemming from water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Some locations received funding support in improving facilities and technical equipment that helped musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that revenue from performances in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his award winnings to good deeds.
In Pulp received the prize in the mid-90s for their album the album, lead singer Cocker announced that the act would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.
During 2002, musician she split her bounty among a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," she explained to the media.
Previously, they gave their winnings to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year M People contributed their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked singer Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected the lives of others."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued two local spots in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in the city and The Croft in that location were purchased under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "shares" in the venues.
