Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
Fender was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his latest record his work was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
He has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues had in his beginning days.
"I would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These venues are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
Fender also joined in, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help 38 local spots across the UK.
The donation helped spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in improving facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that funds from concerts in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.
Fender is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
In they received the prize in 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would give their winnings to the organization War Child.
During 2002, musician she divided her bounty among a few organizations, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," she shared with outlets.
In recent years, they contributed their prize money to the local youth club that developed their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally the 1994 recipients M People contributed their award to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted another person's life."
Last week, the trust revealed it had saved a couple of local spots in that region, by bringing them into local control.
One venue in Southampton and the other in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the properties.
