Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the MVT, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
He was given the cheque on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the best record of the previous year.
The musician has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part small stages played in his early career.
"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.
In the last year, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across the UK.
The money supported venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues arising from water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Other venues received monetary aid in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that helped musicians and audiences.
"The notion that funds from shows in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has stated.
He is among several artists to contribute his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
In they won the prize in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist the singer stated that the group would give their prize money to the organization the charity.
That year, musician she split her award among several organizations, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a grand to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," the artist shared with outlets.
In recent years, the band donated their prize money to the community center that developed their act, as well as other local music groups.
Additionally the 1994 recipients M People gave their award to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the illness.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success touched another person's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued two grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
The Joiners in the city and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.