Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
He was given the award on October 16 as his new release People Watching was chosen as the top album of the past year.
He has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his early career.
"I would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds supported locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges arising from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.
Other venues obtained funding support in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that helped performers and fans.
"The notion that revenue from performances in big venues backs the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to contribute his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
When the band earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their record the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would give their cash to the charity War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist divided her prize between multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," the artist told a publication.
In recent years, the band donated their prize money to the youth organization that developed their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients they donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," said artist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted the lives of others."
Recently, the trust shared it had protected several small stages in that region, by transferring them to local control.
One venue in the city and the other in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the properties.
