Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's small music venues.
He was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his new release his work was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
He has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the performances I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist 38 local spots across Britain.
The donation helped venues that were facing imminent closure due to issues arising from floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained funding support in upgrading infrastructure and gear that positively impacted performers and audiences.
"The concept that revenue from shows in big venues backs the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is not the first artist to give his award prize money to charitable organizations.
When the band received the trophy in the year 1996 for their album their work, vocalist Cocker stated that the act would donate their cash to the charity the charity.
That year, rapper and singer the artist split her award between a few charities, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," she shared with the media.
Previously, they contributed their winnings to the youth organization that developed their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally 1994 winners the group contributed their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.
"The victory was ample," said vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the MVT announced it had rescued a couple of small stages in that region, by placing them under local control.
The first in that area and The Croft in the city were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.
