Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the Britain's independent music venues.
The star was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the last 12 months.
He has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages had in his early career.
"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," remarked Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.
Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation assisted locations that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.
Some locations received monetary aid in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that helped performers and fans.
"The idea that money from concerts in major spaces helps the local stages, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.
In the band earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, artist the artist split her award across a few charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also gave a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," the artist explained to a publication.
Two years ago, the band donated their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, as well as other local music groups.
Also 1994 winners they gave their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was ample," said vocalist Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success affected another person's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved several small stages in the South East, by bringing them into local control.
One venue in the city and the other in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the properties.
