Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25,000 award winnings to the MVT, which functions to protect the Britain's grassroots live music spots.
The star was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his third album his work was chosen as the best record of the past year.
Fender has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it weren't for all the performances I did around the area, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to support 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges arising from water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received funding support in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in major spaces backs the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has stated.
He is among several artists to contribute his honor prize money to worthy causes.
In Pulp received the prize in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, lead singer the singer stated that the band would give their winnings to the organization War Child.
That year, artist the artist split her prize between multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I gave a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to the media.
Previously, the band contributed their winnings to the youth organization that supported their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally 1994 winners they gave their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked singer Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued two small stages in the South East, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in Southampton and the other in Bristol were acquired under the community ownership program, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the properties.
