Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the trust for venues, which works to save the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.
He was presented with the award on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was named the best record of the past year.
The musician has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots played in his early career.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Recently, well-known musicians such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.
Sam Fender also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 local spots across Britain.
These funds helped venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges caused by water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted financial assistance in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped performers and audiences.
"The concept that money from performances in major spaces supports the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has said.
He is far from the only musician to contribute his honor prize money to worthy causes.
When they received the trophy in the year 1996 for their record their work, vocalist the singer announced that the group would give their cash to the non-profit the charity.
That year, rapper and singer the artist split her prize across several charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to a publication.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the community center that developed their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also 1994 winners they gave their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our success affected the lives of others."
In the past week, the MVT shared it had rescued two small stages in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
One venue in Southampton and the other in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by the arts council and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the properties.
