Sam Fender gives £25,000 cash award to small live spaces

The singer receiving his trophy in his hometown
He was awarded the honor in October in Newcastle

The star has given the complete sum of his £25k honor cash to the MVT, which functions to save the Britain's grassroots music venues.

The star was given the prize on mid-October as his latest record the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

The musician has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I did around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports local stages.

Sam Fender also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help thirty-eight local spots across the UK.

These funds helped venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues arising from water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and gear that helped musicians and audiences.

"The idea that money from performances in major spaces helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has said.

Pulp members performing
Pulp are among the artists who gave their honor funds to non-profits

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

When the band earned the award in the year 1996 for their release their work, frontman Cocker stated that the band would donate their winnings to the non-profit the charity.

During 2002, musician she split her award among several charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with outlets.

Two years ago, they donated their funds to the youth organization that developed their act, alongside other local music groups.

And winners that year they gave their prize to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the condition.

"Winning was sufficient," remarked vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the honor. So our success impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the trust revealed it had saved two local spots in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.

The Joiners in Southampton and the other in that location were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is funded by a national body and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the properties.

Megan Martin
Megan Martin

Elena Vance is a certified financial planner with over 15 years of experience in legacy and estate planning, dedicated to helping families build lasting financial legacies.