Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which operates to preserve the Britain's independent music venues.
Fender was given the award on October 16 as his new release the album was declared the best record of the past year.
Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues had in his early career.
"I would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, generating over £100k on his live tour to support numerous local spots across the UK.
The money assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges arising from water damage, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Other venues were granted financial assistance in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The idea that money from concerts in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
Fender is not the first artist to contribute his honor prize money to worthy causes.
In Pulp received the award in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would donate their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite shared her award between a few organizations, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," the artist explained to the media.
In recent years, they gave their winnings to the community center that supported their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.
"The victory was ample," said vocalist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning touched the lives of others."
In the past week, the trust announced it had saved several local spots in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in the city and the other in that location were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who purchase "shares" in the venues.
