Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to save the UK's small live music spots.
He was given the cheque on 16 October as his third album his work was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was beginning," said the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16% of the total UK scene.
In the last year, top acts including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped venues that were facing imminent closure due to challenges caused by floods, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted monetary aid in improving facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and fans.
"The concept that revenue from performances in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.
He is far from the only musician to give his award winnings to worthy causes.
In Pulp earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, frontman Cocker declared that the group would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, artist she divided her bounty across a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.
Two years ago, they gave their funds to the community center that nurtured their act, alongside other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients M People donated their award to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the disease.
"The victory was quite enough," said singer Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory affected another person's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected two grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
One venue in that area and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the venues.
