Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the MVT, which works to preserve the UK's small concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his latest record the album was declared the top album of the previous year.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his early career.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.
Fender also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support thirty-eight small stages across the UK.
The donation supported spaces that were confronting possible closure due to issues arising from flooding, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations obtained funding support in improving facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.
Fender is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
When they received the trophy in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would contribute their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
That year, musician the artist divided her award across several good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked updated gear," she explained to a publication.
In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the youth organization that developed their band, as well as other local music groups.
Additionally the 1994 recipients the group gave their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"The victory was quite enough," remarked artist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected two local spots in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.
One venue in the city and The Croft in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who purchase "shares" in the properties.
