Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which functions to save the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was given the cheque on October 16 as his latest record the album was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to help numerous small stages across the UK.
The donation supported locations that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties caused by flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations received monetary aid in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The idea that funds from performances in big venues helps the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when the band earned the prize in the mid-90s for their record their work, frontman Cocker stated that the band would give their prize money to the organization War Child.
In 2002, artist she divided her award between a few organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
Two years ago, the band donated their funds to the youth organization that developed their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients the group contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"Receiving the award was ample," stated singer the singer. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved a couple of small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.
The first in Southampton and the second in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the venues.
