Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 award prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to protect the UK's small live music spots.
The star was given the award on 16 October as his third album People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function small stages played in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported locations that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Other venues obtained funding support in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and audiences.
"The idea that money from shows in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has stated.
Fender is not the first artist to give his award prize money to worthy causes.
When they won the trophy in the year 1996 for their record their work, frontman the singer announced that the act would contribute their prize money to the charity War Child.
In 2002, musician the artist split her award between a few organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," she told outlets.
In recent years, they donated their prize money to the youth organization that supported their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients they gave their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," said vocalist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the honor. So our victory touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust shared it had saved several grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and the second in that location were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by a national body and supporters who acquire "shares" in the properties.
