Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which functions to save the UK's grassroots live music spots.
He was presented with the prize on 16 October as his new release People Watching was declared the top album of the previous year.
He has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots had in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits independent venues.
He also took part, raising over £100k on his live tour to help thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation supported venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues stemming from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.
Other venues obtained funding support in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from shows in large arenas helps the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his award prize money to good deeds.
When they earned the prize in the year 1996 for their record the album, frontman the singer declared that the act would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, artist the artist split her bounty across multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," the artist shared with outlets.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the local youth club that supported their band, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners M People contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," said vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning touched another person's life."
In the past week, the trust shared it had saved a couple of small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.
One venue in that area and the other in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who buy "stakes" in the properties.
