Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the trust for venues, which works to save the UK's independent music venues.
Fender was given the award on mid-October as his new release the album was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages had in his early career.
"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.
In the last year, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports independent venues.
Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his recent tour to support 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
The money supported venues that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.
Other venues were granted funding support in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces backs the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has stated.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his honor winnings to good deeds.
When they earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, vocalist Cocker announced that the band would contribute their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
During 2002, rapper and singer she split her prize between a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," she told outlets.
Previously, they contributed their funds to the youth organization that developed their act, as well as other local music groups.
And 1994 winners M People donated their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.
"Winning was sufficient," stated vocalist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected two local spots in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in Southampton and the second in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the properties.
