Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the MVT, which functions to save the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was given the prize on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was named the best record of the previous year.
The musician has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part small stages had in his early career.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I did around the area, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, major artists including the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports independent venues.
Fender also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported venues that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties arising from floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted funding support in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from performances in large arenas helps the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
The musician is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.
When they won the award in 1996 for their record their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would donate their prize money to the charity the charity.
That year, rapper and singer she divided her bounty across a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with outlets.
Two years ago, the band gave their prize money to the youth organization that supported their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
And winners that year they donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was ample," said artist Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the honor. So our winning touched another person's life."
Last week, the MVT revealed it had rescued several local spots in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.
The first in Southampton and the second in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership program, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.
