Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was awarded the prize on 16 October as his third album his work was declared the best record of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Recently, top acts like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits independent venues.
Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to issues arising from flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations received monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and gear that helped performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that funds from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.
The musician is among several artists to give his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
In they earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their album their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would donate their winnings to the organization the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist divided her award across multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," she told the media.
Two years ago, they gave their prize money to the community center that developed their act, in addition to other local music groups.
And winners that year they gave their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success touched another person's life."
Last week, the MVT revealed it had rescued several small stages in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The first in the city and the other in that location were bought under the public acquisition program, which is supported by a national body and music fans who acquire "shares" in the properties.
