Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
He was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album People Watching was named the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the essential function local spots had in his beginning days.
"I would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately 16% of the total UK scene.
In the last year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his live tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
The donation assisted locations that were dealing with possible closure due to issues caused by floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations received financial assistance in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
The musician is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to worthy causes.
In Pulp received the trophy in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, frontman Cocker announced that the group would donate their cash to the organization the charity.
That year, musician Ms Dynamite shared her bounty between multiple good causes, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required updated gear," she told the media.
Previously, they donated their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their band, alongside other local music groups.
Also winners that year M People gave their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated vocalist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
Last week, the trust announced it had saved a couple of small stages in the South East, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in the city and The Croft in that location were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by a national body and supporters who purchase "stakes" in the venues.
