Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the UK's small live music spots.
He was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his new release the album was chosen as the best record of the past year.
Fender has opted to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help numerous small stages across the UK.
These funds assisted spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.
Additional spaces received funding support in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and fans.
"The notion that money from concerts in large arenas backs the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to contribute his honor prize money to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp earned the award in 1996 for their record Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would contribute their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, musician she shared her prize across multiple organizations, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," she told a publication.
Previously, the band donated their prize money to the community center that developed their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year they gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said singer Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted another person's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved several grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
One venue in that area and The Croft in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.
