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The artist has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.

Fender was presented with the prize on October 16 as his new release the album was named the top album of the previous year.

The musician has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages played in his early career.

"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, major artists including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 small stages across the UK.

The money helped locations that were dealing with possible closure due to issues arising from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.

Some locations received monetary aid in upgrading facilities and gear that positively impacted musicians and fans.

"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.

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

When Pulp earned the prize in the mid-90s for their album their work, lead singer the singer stated that the act would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, rapper and singer she split her award across several organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," she shared with outlets.

Previously, the band contributed their winnings to the community center that supported their act, as well as other independent music bodies.

Additionally winners that year the group donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.

"Winning was sufficient," said singer Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the trust announced it had protected several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

The Joiners in that area and the other in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who acquire "shares" in the buildings.