Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the UK's small concert spaces.
The star was awarded the award on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the best record of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16% of the total UK scene.
Recently, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his live tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across Britain.
These funds supported locations that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and sound issues.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.
"The concept that funds from concerts in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his honor prize money to worthy causes.
In Pulp earned the trophy in 1996 for their album their work, vocalist the singer stated that the group would give their cash to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her prize between multiple good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," she shared with the media.
Previously, the band donated their funds to the youth organization that supported their group, alongside other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients they contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the illness.
"The victory was quite enough," said singer the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory touched another person's life."
Last week, the MVT announced it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.
One venue in the city and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.
