Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which works to preserve the Britain's small music venues.
The star was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his new release his work was declared the top album of the previous year.
He has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.
Fender also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The concept that revenue from shows in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has said.
The musician is among several artists to contribute his award funds to charitable organizations.
When Pulp won the award in 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her award between multiple good causes, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite told a publication.
In recent years, 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 donated their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the illness.
"The victory was quite enough," remarked singer the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched somebody else's life."
Last week, the MVT announced it had protected several grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in that area and the other in the city were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.
