Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25,000 honor cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the UK's independent live music spots.
He was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his new release People Watching was named the best record of the past year.
He has decided to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part small stages had in his beginning days.
"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.
In the last year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
Sam Fender also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds supported venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues stemming from floods, fires and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received funding support in upgrading infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.
"The idea that money from performances in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.
The musician is not the first artist to give his award funds to charitable organizations.
Back when the band earned the award in 1996 for their release Different Class, lead singer Cocker announced that the group would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.
During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite split her bounty between a few charities, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked updated gear," she told a publication.
In recent years, they contributed their funds to the youth organization that developed their group, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also the 1994 recipients the group donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the disease.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked artist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our success touched the lives of others."
In the past week, the MVT announced it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by a national body and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
