Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the Britain's independent live music spots.
He was awarded the award on October 16 as his latest record the album was named the top album of the previous year.
He has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the vital role local spots played in his initial steps.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports independent venues.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds supported spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to issues arising from floods, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and sound issues.
Additional spaces received monetary aid in upgrading amenities and gear that positively impacted performers and audiences.
"The idea that funds from performances in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his honor winnings to charitable organizations.
When the band received the award in 1996 for their record their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer she split her prize across multiple good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," the artist told outlets.
Previously, the band donated their funds to the community center that supported their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally 1994 winners they donated their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," said vocalist Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success touched somebody else's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved a couple of small stages in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
The first in Southampton and the second in that location were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who buy "stakes" in the venues.
