Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the award on mid-October as his new release People Watching was declared the top album of the last 12 months.
He has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his initial steps.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," said the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
Sam Fender also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation supported venues that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties arising from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in improving facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from performances in big venues helps the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his honor prize money to good deeds.
When Pulp won the award in 1996 for their album their work, lead singer Cocker announced that the act would give their cash to the organization the charity.
During 2002, artist Ms Dynamite split her prize among several good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed updated gear," she shared with outlets.
Two years ago, the band gave their winnings to the community center that supported their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally the 1994 recipients they contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"The victory was ample," stated singer the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected the lives of others."
Last week, the MVT shared it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in that area and the other in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "shares" in the buildings.
