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The artist has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the trust for venues, which works to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.

He was given the award on October 16 as his third album People Watching was chosen as the best record of the past year.

The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I personally would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.

Recently, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.

Fender also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to help 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money supported spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues caused by flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues.

Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and fans.

"The notion that money from shows in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.

He is not the first artist to give his honor winnings to good deeds.

Back when Pulp won the award in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Cocker stated that the act would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

During 2002, musician the artist divided her prize between a few good causes, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"I also contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," she explained to a publication.

In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the youth organization that developed their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.

Also 1994 winners M People gave their award to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the condition.

"Receiving the award was ample," stated singer Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning touched the lives of others."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved two grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.

The first in Southampton and The Croft in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.