Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25,000 award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's small music venues.
He was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
He has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the performances I did around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.
Fender also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous small stages across the UK.
The money supported spaces that were facing possible closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.
"The concept that revenue from performances in major spaces helps the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has said.
He is not the first artist to donate his award funds to charitable organizations.
When Pulp earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their album the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would contribute their cash to the charity War Child.
In 2002, musician the artist split her bounty between several charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," she shared with the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their prize money to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients they gave their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked artist Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success touched another person's life."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.
One venue in that area and the second in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who purchase "stakes" in the venues.
