Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the MVT, which operates to preserve the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was given the prize on mid-October as his third album People Watching was named the outstanding release of the past year.
He has opted to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his early career.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds assisted spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges arising from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations received monetary aid in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.
The musician is among several artists to give his award winnings to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp received the trophy in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, lead singer the singer stated that the act would give their cash to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite divided her prize among several charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," the artist told the media.
Previously, the band donated their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
And winners that year the group donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked vocalist the singer. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our victory affected the lives of others."
Last week, the MVT revealed it had protected a couple of local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in the city and the second in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the properties.
