Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which functions to save the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was awarded the prize on mid-October as his third album People Watching was chosen as the best record of the past year.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part small stages played in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the area, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its attempts 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 in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues stemming from flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and sound issues.
Other venues obtained funding support in upgrading infrastructure and gear that helped musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from concerts in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.
He is not the first artist to contribute his award funds to worthy causes.
Back when they received the trophy in 1996 for their album the album, frontman the singer declared that the act would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
That year, artist she split her prize between a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," she told a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the local youth club that supported their act, alongside other independent music bodies.
Also winners that year they gave their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Winning was ample," remarked artist the singer. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory touched somebody else's life."
Recently, the MVT revealed it had saved a couple of local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.
The first in that area and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the venues.
