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Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.

Fender was given the award on 16 October as his third album his work was named the top album of the past year.

He has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues played in his beginning days.

"I would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16% of the total UK scene.

In the last year, major artists like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.

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

These funds supported venues that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties caused by water damage, fires and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in improving facilities and technical equipment that helped artists and concertgoers.

"The concept that funds from shows in major spaces supports the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.

Fender is not the first artist to contribute his honor prize money to charitable organizations.

When the band earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, artist she shared her bounty among a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," she shared with the media.

Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the local youth club that developed their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.

Also the 1994 recipients the group contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the illness.

"The victory was sufficient," said singer Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the MVT shared it had protected several grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.

The first in Southampton and the second in the city were bought under the public acquisition program, which is backed by a national body and music fans who acquire "shares" in the properties.