Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25,000 award cash to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.
Fender was given the cheque on October 16 as his third album People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
The musician has decided to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
Sam Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his recent tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation helped locations that were dealing with possible closure due to issues caused by floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Other venues obtained monetary aid in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in large arenas helps the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.
Fender is among several artists to contribute his honor prize money to good deeds.
Back when they won the award in 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Cocker declared that the group would donate their prize money to the organization the charity.
In 2002, artist she divided her prize between multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," she told a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients they contributed their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.
"Receiving the award was ample," said singer Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our success touched somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT announced it had saved a couple of small stages in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in the city and the second in the city were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the properties.
