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The star has given the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.

He was given the prize on mid-October as his third album People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.

He has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.

"I would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, major artists including the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to support the industry, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.

Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous local spots across Britain.

The money helped locations that were confronting possible closure due to issues arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Additional spaces received financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and audiences.

"The notion that funds from concerts in big venues backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has stated.

He is not the first artist to give his award funds to worthy causes.

In the band received the trophy in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist the singer announced that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit the charity.

In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her bounty between a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," the artist shared with a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the community center that supported their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

And 1994 winners the group donated their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.

"Winning was quite enough," remarked singer Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected another person's life."

Recently, the MVT shared it had protected several small stages in that region, by transferring them to local control.

The Joiners in the city and the second in that location were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by a national body and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.