Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to save the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
The star was presented with the award on 16 October as his new release People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
He has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages had in his beginning days.
"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
He also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help thirty-eight small stages across the UK.
These funds supported locations that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties arising from floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.
Other venues received monetary aid in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.
"The concept that revenue from performances in large arenas helps the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
Back when they earned the prize in 1996 for their album their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would donate their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
During 2002, musician the artist divided her bounty between multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.
In recent years, the band gave their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their award to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked singer the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory touched the lives of others."
Last week, the MVT shared it had rescued two grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by a national body and supporters who purchase "shares" in the venues.
