Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
The star was presented with the award on 16 October as his new release People Watching was chosen as the best record of the previous year.
He has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the performances I did around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.
Recently, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
He also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight small stages across Britain.
The money supported locations that were facing imminent closure due to issues stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received funding support in modernizing facilities and gear that helped performers and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to give his honor funds to charitable organizations.
When the band earned the prize in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist the singer declared that the act would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite shared her award between a few organizations, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also gave a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she explained to the media.
Two years ago, the band gave their funds to the youth organization that supported their group, alongside other local music groups.
Also winners that year the group contributed their award to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Winning was sufficient," said artist Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust shared it had protected a couple of small stages in the South East, by placing them under local control.
One venue in the city and the other in the city were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is funded by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the venues.
