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The star has donated the full amount of his £25,000 honor cash to the MVT, which works to protect the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.

The star was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.

The musician has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues had in his initial steps.

"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.

He also took part, generating over £100k on his recent tour to help numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation helped spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Additional spaces were granted funding support in improving facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.

"The notion that funds from shows in major spaces supports the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.

He is not the first artist to donate his honor winnings to worthy causes.

In the band earned the prize in the mid-90s for their release the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would contribute their cash to the non-profit the charity.

That year, musician she divided her bounty among multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked updated gear," the artist explained to a publication.

Previously, they donated their winnings to the local youth club that developed their group, as well as other independent music bodies.

And the 1994 recipients they donated their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the illness.

"Winning was sufficient," said artist the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success affected the lives of others."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved several small stages in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.

One venue in Southampton and the other in the city were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the properties.