Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 award cash to the MVT, which works to save the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
He was awarded the award on October 16 as his third album People Watching was declared the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part small stages played in his beginning days.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.
He also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges arising from water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted funding support in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.
"The concept that money from shows in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.
The musician is among several artists to contribute his award winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when the band won the trophy in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman the singer stated that the group would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer she split her bounty across a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the local youth club that supported their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
And 1994 winners M People gave their prize to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," stated artist the singer. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued several local spots in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in that area and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition program, which is supported by a national body and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the properties.
