Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 honor cash to the trust for venues, which works to protect the UK's grassroots music venues.
He was presented with the prize on October 16 as his third album his work was named the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds supported locations that were facing possible closure due to issues caused by water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and fans.
"The notion that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his honor winnings to good deeds.
When Pulp won the prize in the mid-90s for their record their work, frontman the singer declared that the band would give their prize money to the organization War Child.
That year, musician the artist split her bounty across several organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed updated gear," she explained to a publication.
Previously, the band gave their prize money to the community center that supported their act, alongside other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners they contributed their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was ample," remarked vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted the lives of others."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
The first in the city and The Croft in the city were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the properties.
