Sir Anish Kapoor, the British sculptor, said he has donated the £750,000 he received for winning the Genesis Prize to charities working with refugees worldwide.

The artist, who was awarded the prestigious $1 million prize, dubbed the Jewish Nobel, last year, announced that he will be giving the prize money to five non-governmental organisations, including the International Rescue Committee run by former Labour foreign secretary David Miliband.

In a statement Sir Anish ,who has an Indian father and Iraqi Jewish mother but has lived in London since moving to the UK to study, said: ““Like many Jews, I do not have to go far back in my family history to find people who were refugees.

“Directing Genesis Prize funds to this cause is a way of helping people who, like my forebears not too long before them, are fleeing persecution.

I believe in a world of compassion, and am fortunate to be able to work with the Genesis Prize Foundation and the terrific NGOs receiving our grants to bring more compassion into the world.”

Other charities to receive Sir Anish’s prize money include the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees (MFA), HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), Help Refugees, and Hillel International.

The money will be used to improve community health services for refugees in Africa, provide access to safe water for Rohingya Muslims and support the expansion of a digital platform harnessing social media and other digital tools to help refugees.