Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 honor prize money to the MVT, which works to save the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his latest record his work was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Fender also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds supported spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges arising from water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Some locations obtained funding support in upgrading amenities and gear that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The concept that revenue from shows in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.
When they earned the trophy in 1996 for their album their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the act would give their cash to the organization War Child.
That year, musician Ms Dynamite split her award across several charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.
Previously, the band donated their funds to the youth organization that developed their act, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners the group contributed their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked artist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in Southampton and the second in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "shares" in the properties.
