Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the UK's independent music venues.
Fender was given the award on 16 October as his third album People Watching was declared the top album of the past year.
The musician has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to support 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues arising from water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Other venues received funding support in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The idea that money from shows in large arenas helps the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
He is among several artists to give his honor winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when Pulp won the award in the mid-90s for their release the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would give their winnings to the organization War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her award between multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," she explained to the media.
Two years ago, the band donated their funds to the community center that nurtured their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients M People contributed their award to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," said vocalist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning touched the lives of others."
In the past week, the MVT shared it had protected two grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
One venue in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.
