Sam Fender has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the MVT, which works to preserve the UK's small music venues.
The star was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his new release the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
He has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – roughly one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts including the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.
Sam Fender also joined in, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to support thirty-eight small stages across Britain.
The donation helped spaces that were facing imminent closure due to issues caused by flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations were granted monetary aid in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and fans.
"The concept that money from shows in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to contribute his honor funds to charitable organizations.
When the band won the prize in 1996 for their record Different Class, lead singer Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.
That year, artist she shared her bounty across a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to the media.
Previously, they contributed their prize money to the community center that developed their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Also the 1994 recipients they gave their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the disease.
"The victory was ample," remarked singer the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued two local spots in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in Southampton and the second in the city were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.
