Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the Britain's small music venues.
The star was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album People Watching was declared the top album of the past year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots had in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports independent venues.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported venues that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Other venues obtained monetary aid in improving facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The concept that money from performances in major spaces supports the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.
He is far from the only musician to give his honor winnings to good deeds.
In they earned the award in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would give their prize money to the organization the charity.
In 2002, musician she split her prize between a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," the artist explained to a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally the 1994 recipients M People contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"The victory was ample," remarked artist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory touched another person's life."
Last week, the MVT announced it had protected several small stages in south-east England, by placing them under public stewardship.
One venue in that area and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by the arts council and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
