Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to preserve the Britain's grassroots music venues.
He was given the prize on mid-October as his new release People Watching was declared the top album of the past year.
Fender has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages had in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Recently, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to help numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds helped spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and sound issues.
Other venues were granted financial assistance in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from shows in big venues helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
When the band won the prize in the year 1996 for their album their work, lead singer the singer announced that the group would give their winnings to the charity the charity.
In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite split her prize across multiple organizations, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told a publication.
Two years ago, the band contributed their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients M People donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked singer Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success affected the lives of others."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in Southampton and the second in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "shares" in the properties.
