Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's small concert spaces.
The star was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his third album his work was named the best record of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages played in his initial steps.
"I would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.
He also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his live tour to help 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation supported spaces that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties caused by floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and sound issues.
Other venues were granted monetary aid in improving facilities and gear that helped musicians and audiences.
"The notion that money from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.
He is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.
In the band won the trophy in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, vocalist the singer declared that the act would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer she split her prize across multiple charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," the artist shared with the media.
Previously, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the community center that developed their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also winners that year they gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said singer Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had protected several small stages in the South East, by placing them under local control.
The first in that area and The Croft in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the properties.
