Sam Fender has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the Britain's grassroots live music spots.
He was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role small stages played in his initial steps.
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.
He also took part, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation helped venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The concept that money from shows in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," the star has said.
The musician is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.
In Pulp earned the award in the mid-90s for their release the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would contribute their prize money to the charity the charity.
During 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her award across several good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," she shared with a publication.
In recent years, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that supported their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
And 1994 winners the group donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.
"Winning was ample," remarked singer the singer. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory touched somebody else's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under public stewardship.
The first in the city and the second in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.
