Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25k award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the UK's small concert spaces.
The star was given the cheque on mid-October as his new release People Watching was chosen as the top album of the past year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his early career.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I played around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money assisted spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to issues stemming from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted financial assistance in modernizing facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.
"The notion that funds from shows in major spaces supports the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," the star has said.
Fender is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
In they won the prize in 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.
That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her prize among several good causes, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," the artist told outlets.
Previously, the band donated their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners M People donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was ample," stated artist Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our success affected the lives of others."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved several local spots in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the properties.
