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The artist has given the entirety of his £25,000 honor cash to the MVT, which operates to protect the UK's independent concert spaces.

He was awarded the award on 16 October as his new release People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.

The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function small stages played in his beginning days.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.

He also took part, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to help 38 small stages across Britain.

These funds supported venues that were facing possible closure due to issues stemming from floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces obtained funding support in modernizing infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.

"The idea that money from concerts in big venues backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.

The musician is far from the only musician to give his honor funds to worthy causes.

In Pulp received the prize in the year 1996 for their release their work, vocalist Cocker announced that the group would contribute their winnings to the charity the charity.

In 2002, artist the artist divided her prize across multiple good causes, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," she told outlets.

Two years ago, they donated their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

And the 1994 recipients they contributed their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.

"The victory was sufficient," stated artist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning touched somebody else's life."

In the past week, the trust announced it had rescued several small stages in that region, by transferring them to local control.

The Joiners in Southampton and the other in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is supported by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.