Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
He was awarded the award on October 16 as his third album his work was named the best record of the previous year.
Fender has opted to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his initial steps.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
He also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
The money helped locations that were facing possible closure due to difficulties stemming from water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received funding support in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from performances in large arenas helps the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.
He is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
When they received the award in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would contribute their cash to the organization War Child.
During 2002, artist Ms Dynamite split her award across several good causes, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," she explained to a publication.
Previously, the band contributed their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their band, alongside other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year they gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," said artist Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the MVT announced it had saved two small stages in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in the city and the second in the city were bought under the community ownership program, which is funded by a national body and supporters who purchase "shares" in the properties.
