Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the trust for venues, which works to protect the Britain's small live music spots.
He was presented with the award on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the best record of the past year.
He has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across the UK.
The money supported locations that were facing potential shutdown due to issues caused by flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.
He is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.
Back when Pulp won the trophy in the mid-90s for their album their work, vocalist the singer declared that the band would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her bounty across several organizations, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the community center that developed their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners they contributed their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was ample," stated artist Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the trust shared it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The first in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.
