Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 award prize money to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's independent live music spots.
He was presented with the prize on October 16 as his new release the album was declared the top album of the past year.
The musician has opted to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," said the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
Fender also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds assisted spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted financial assistance in improving facilities and technical equipment that helped artists and audiences.
"The idea that revenue from performances in big venues backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
He is among several artists to donate his honor winnings to worthy causes.
When the band earned the award in 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman the singer announced that the band would give their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, musician Ms Dynamite divided her prize across several charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the youth organization that developed their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also 1994 winners they gave their prize to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," stated artist Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved a couple of small stages in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in the city and the second in the city were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the properties.
