Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
Fender was given the award on 16 October as his third album People Watching was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
He has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his initial steps.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.
Fender also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation supported locations that were confronting possible closure due to issues arising from flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in improving amenities and gear that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that revenue from performances in large arenas backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.
He is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when the band received the award in 1996 for their album the album, vocalist Cocker stated that the act would contribute their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, musician the artist split her prize across several organizations, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also donated a grand to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," the artist told outlets.
Previously, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their band, in addition to other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients they contributed their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked singer Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had rescued several small stages in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The first in the city and the other in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who buy "shares" in the venues.
