Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25k award prize money to the trust for venues, which works to save the Britain's small live music spots.
Fender was given the award on mid-October as his new release his work was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to support numerous grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds supported spaces that were facing possible closure due to challenges caused by floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in modernizing facilities and gear that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The idea that money from performances in big venues backs the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
He is among several artists to contribute his honor winnings to good deeds.
In the band won the prize in the year 1996 for their record the album, vocalist the singer stated that the group would donate their prize money to the charity the charity.
That year, rapper and singer the artist divided her bounty among a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," she explained to a publication.
Previously, they gave their winnings to the community center that developed their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
Also winners that year M People donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," stated artist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success touched another person's life."
Recently, the MVT announced it had rescued several grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in the city were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the properties.
