Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25k honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
He was presented with the award on 16 October as his third album his work was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues played in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to support numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported locations that were dealing with possible closure due to issues arising from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted funding support in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from performances in large arenas backs the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.
The musician is among several artists to donate his award winnings to good deeds.
When Pulp received the trophy in the mid-90s for their record the album, vocalist the singer stated that the band would donate their cash to the charity War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her prize among several good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.
In recent years, they contributed their prize money to the community center that nurtured their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners the group gave their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," said vocalist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted another person's life."
Recently, the MVT revealed it had protected several local spots in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.
The first in that area and the second in that location were bought under the public acquisition program, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.
