Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which works to preserve the Britain's small live music spots.
He was presented with the prize on 16 October as his latest record the album was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
The musician has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16% of the total UK scene.
Recently, major artists including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.
Sam Fender also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist 38 small stages across Britain.
The donation assisted locations that were confronting imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The concept that money from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
The musician is not the first artist to give his honor funds to good deeds.
When Pulp won the award in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would contribute their cash to the organization the charity.
During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite divided her bounty across a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," she explained to the media.
In recent years, they donated their prize money to the local youth club that developed their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year they donated their award to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," said artist Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning touched another person's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
One venue in the city and The Croft in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the properties.
