Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the Britain's small concert spaces.
The star was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his new release the album was chosen as the best record of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Recently, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation supported venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges stemming from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from concerts in big venues supports the independent spots, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.
The musician is among several artists to give his honor winnings to worthy causes.
Back when the band received the trophy in the year 1996 for their album the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would donate their cash to the charity War Child.
In 2002, musician she divided her bounty among a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told a publication.
Two years ago, they gave their funds to the community center that developed their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients they contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT revealed it had protected several small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The first in Southampton and The Croft in the city were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.
