Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k award cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.
The star was presented with the award on October 16 as his new release his work was named the top album of the last 12 months.
He has decided to give the cash to the trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots played in his early career.
"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.
Recently, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.
He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to support numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation supported locations that were facing potential shutdown due to issues caused by water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in improving facilities and gear that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that funds from performances in major spaces backs the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his award prize money to good deeds.
In they earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Cocker stated that the act would contribute their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, rapper and singer the artist shared her prize between a few charities, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," she explained to outlets.
In recent years, the band contributed their winnings to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners they gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked artist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, 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 a couple of small stages in the South East, by bringing them into local control.
The first in the city and the second in that location were purchased under the community ownership scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.
