Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was awarded the award on October 16 as his new release People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his early career.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.
He also took part, generating over £100k on his recent tour to support numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in upgrading amenities and gear that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The idea that revenue from shows in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
He is not the first artist to contribute his award funds to charitable organizations.
When Pulp earned the trophy in 1996 for their release their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
During 2002, artist she shared her award across a few good causes, like the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she told the media.
Previously, they donated their prize money to the community center that supported their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also 1994 winners the group contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the disease.
"Winning was ample," stated vocalist Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched the lives of others."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued several local spots in the South East, by transferring them to local control.
The first in that area and the other in that location were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
