Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the UK's independent music venues.
The star was awarded the prize on October 16 as his latest record his work was declared the best record of the past year.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues had in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Recently, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.
Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous small stages across Britain.
The money helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to issues stemming from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The concept that money from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has stated.
Fender is among several artists to give his honor winnings to charitable organizations.
In they won the trophy in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Cocker announced that the act would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer she split her prize between several good causes, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," she told the media.
Previously, they donated their prize money to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients M People donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was ample," remarked artist Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted another person's life."
Last week, the MVT revealed it had protected several small stages in the South East, by transferring them to local control.
One venue in that area and the second in that location were acquired under the community ownership program, which is supported by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.
