Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
Fender was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his third album his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages had in his early career.
"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
The money assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in improving amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted artists and fans.
"The idea that money from shows in big venues backs the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
He is far from the only musician to donate his honor winnings to worthy causes.
In Pulp received the award in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
That year, rapper and singer she shared her bounty among several organizations, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients the group donated their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our success impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the MVT shared it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The first in the city and The Croft in the city were acquired under the community ownership scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "shares" in the properties.
