Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
He was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his new release the album was declared the best record of the past year.
He has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, top acts including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation helped venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues stemming from flooding, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The idea that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
He is not the first artist to donate his award prize money to good deeds.
When the band won the trophy in 1996 for their release the album, frontman the singer stated that the act would donate their prize money to the organization War Child.
That year, artist the artist shared her award between multiple organizations, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," she told the media.
Two years ago, they donated their winnings to the youth organization that developed their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And 1994 winners the group donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," said artist Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued a couple of local spots in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in the city and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the buildings.
