Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 award winnings to the MVT, which functions to protect the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his new release the album was named the top album of the past year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues had in his early career.
"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Recently, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.
Sam Fender also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation assisted locations that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties caused by floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Other venues received financial assistance in improving facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.
"The idea that money from shows in large arenas backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
Fender is among several artists to donate his honor funds to charitable organizations.
When Pulp earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite split her bounty among a few charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," she shared with outlets.
In recent years, they gave their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year they gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Winning was ample," remarked artist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in the city and The Croft in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.
