Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's independent live music spots.
Fender was awarded the prize on mid-October as his new release his work was declared the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the performances I played around the area, and beyond, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to support 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation supported spaces that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties arising from water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations received funding support in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.
"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to contribute his award prize money to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp won the prize in 1996 for their release their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist divided her award among a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked updated gear," the artist explained to a publication.
Two years ago, the band contributed their prize money to the youth organization that supported their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients M People gave their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was sufficient," said artist Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success affected another person's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and the second in the city were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.
