Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k award winnings to the MVT, which operates to save the Britain's small live music spots.
He was presented with the prize on October 16 as his new release People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money assisted spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Some locations were granted funding support in improving amenities and gear that positively impacted performers and fans.
"The concept that revenue from performances in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
He is far from the only musician to donate his award funds to worthy causes.
Back when they earned the award in 1996 for their record the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite divided her bounty between a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told outlets.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective gave their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other local music groups.
And winners that year they contributed their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Winning was quite enough," said artist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
Last week, the trust shared it had protected two grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into local control.
One venue in that area and The Croft in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the buildings.
