Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which operates to save the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
He was presented with the prize on mid-October as his new release People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
He has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his early career.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.
He also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight local spots across Britain.
The donation assisted locations that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces obtained funding support in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The concept that funds from shows in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has said.
Fender is far from the only musician to give his honor prize money to good deeds.
When the band received the prize in 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist Cocker stated that the group would give their cash to the charity the charity.
In 2002, artist she shared her prize across a few organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite told outlets.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also 1994 winners the group gave their prize to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the disease.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked artist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success affected the lives of others."
In the past week, the trust shared it had saved two small stages in the South East, by bringing them into local control.
The Joiners in the city and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the properties.
