Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 honor winnings to the MVT, which works to preserve the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was given the award on October 16 as his third album the album was named the best record of the previous year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
He also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped locations that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties arising from water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The idea that revenue from concerts in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
When they received the trophy in the year 1996 for their album their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the act would donate their cash to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, musician the artist shared her bounty across several charities, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I donated a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," the artist shared with the media.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the community center that nurtured their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients M People gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.
"The victory was ample," stated artist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had saved two small stages in that region, by bringing them into local control.
One venue in the city and The Croft in that location were purchased under the community ownership scheme, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who buy "stakes" in the buildings.
