Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25k honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the UK's small music venues.
He was awarded the award on 16 October as his latest record his work was named the best record of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds helped venues that were facing imminent closure due to issues stemming from floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and concertgoers.
"The notion that revenue from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
Fender is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp received the prize in 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist the singer stated that the act would contribute their prize money to the charity War Child.
That year, musician she divided her bounty across several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.
Two years ago, the band contributed their winnings to the youth organization that supported their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year M People donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.
"The victory was ample," stated artist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success touched another person's life."
Last week, the MVT shared it had saved a couple of small stages in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and the other in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
