Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 award cash to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
The star was presented with the prize on mid-October as his latest record the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues had in his early career.
"I would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Recently, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to help thirty-eight local spots across Britain.
These funds helped spaces that were facing imminent closure due to issues arising from water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Additional spaces received funding support in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.
"The idea that money from performances in big venues helps the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
The musician is among several artists to give his award prize money to worthy causes.
When they won the award in 1996 for their record the album, lead singer the singer announced that the group would contribute their prize money to the charity War Child.
That year, artist Ms Dynamite shared her award across several charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a grand to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," she explained to a publication.
Previously, the band gave their prize money to the local youth club that developed their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And 1994 winners they donated their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the illness.
"Winning was ample," remarked singer the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the trust announced it had rescued several local spots in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in the city and The Croft in the city were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "shares" in the venues.
