Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the trust for venues, which works to preserve the UK's small concert spaces.
He was presented with the prize on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was named the outstanding release of the past year.
Fender has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.
He also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to issues arising from floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.
Additional spaces obtained funding support in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from concerts in big venues supports the local stages, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his honor funds to charitable organizations.
Back when Pulp received the prize in 1996 for their album the album, vocalist the singer declared that the group would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, musician she shared her bounty between multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked updated gear," the artist explained to outlets.
Two years ago, they donated their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year the group gave their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success touched the lives of others."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had protected a couple of small stages in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in Southampton and The Croft in that location were acquired under the community ownership program, which is supported by a national body and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.
