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The star has handed over the entirety of his £25k award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the UK's grassroots music venues.

He was awarded the prize on 16 October as his third album People Watching was named the best record of the past year.

The musician has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots had in his initial steps.

"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Recently, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous grassroots venues across the UK.

The money supported venues that were confronting possible closure due to challenges arising from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.

Some locations obtained financial assistance in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.

"The concept that money from concerts in large arenas supports the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.

He is far from the only musician to contribute his award prize money to charitable organizations.

In Pulp won the prize in the mid-90s for their release the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.

In 2002, artist she shared her bounty among a few charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," she explained to the media.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the community center that nurtured their act, alongside other local music groups.

And winners that year the group donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.

"Receiving the award was ample," said artist Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted another person's life."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected several small stages in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.

The Joiners in Southampton and the second in that location were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.