Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k honor winnings to the MVT, which operates to preserve the Britain's independent live music spots.
He was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his new release the album was declared the best record of the last 12 months.
He has opted to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
He also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds assisted spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Some locations were granted funding support in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from shows in big venues helps the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his honor winnings to worthy causes.
When Pulp earned the trophy in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Cocker announced that the act would give their winnings to the organization War Child.
That year, musician the artist shared her award across several organizations, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she explained to a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their prize money to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners the group gave their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.
"The victory was ample," stated artist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success touched somebody else's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued several grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and the other in that location were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.
