Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the UK's grassroots music venues.
He was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his third album his work was declared the outstanding release of the past year.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, top acts including Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
He also participated, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money assisted spaces that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties arising from floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Other venues obtained monetary aid in upgrading facilities and gear that helped artists and fans.
"The concept that funds from performances in big venues helps the independent spots, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his award winnings to good deeds.
When they won the award in 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist Cocker announced that the band would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
In 2002, artist the artist divided her award across a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," the artist shared with a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the community center that developed their band, alongside other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year the group contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated singer Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the trust announced it had protected a couple of local spots in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The Joiners in that area and the second in Bristol were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the venues.
