Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 honor prize money to the MVT, which functions to protect the Britain's independent concert spaces.
He was given the award on mid-October as his new release the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his early career.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.
Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous local spots across the UK.
These funds supported venues that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges stemming from water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received monetary aid in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from performances in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
Fender is not the first artist to give his award prize money to charitable organizations.
Back when the band received the prize in the year 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Cocker stated that the group would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, artist the artist divided her award between a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.
Previously, they gave their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year they gave their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.
"The victory was quite enough," remarked singer Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched another person's life."
In the past week, the MVT shared it had saved several grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
The Joiners in the city and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by a national body and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the venues.
