Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the MVT, which operates to save the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
He was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his latest record his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I did around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.
In the last year, top acts including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds supported locations that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues caused by water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted funding support in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The idea that revenue from shows in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to give his honor funds to charitable organizations.
When they earned the prize in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the act would contribute their winnings to the charity War Child.
In 2002, artist the artist split her award between multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," she shared with a publication.
Two years ago, the band donated their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients the group gave their award to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated singer the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success touched another person's life."
In the past week, the MVT announced it had rescued two grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and the second in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who buy "shares" in the properties.
