Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k award cash to the MVT, which functions to save the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
Fender was presented with the prize on October 16 as his latest record his work was declared the top album of the past year.
Fender has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues arising from water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and gear that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that funds from performances in big venues backs the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has said.
He is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
Back when the band won the award in 1996 for their release the album, frontman Cocker announced that the group would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
That year, rapper and singer the artist split her award among several charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," she explained to outlets.
In recent years, they contributed their winnings to the local youth club that nurtured their act, alongside other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners the group gave their prize to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the illness.
"The victory was sufficient," stated singer Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to local control.
One venue in that area and the other in the city were purchased under the community ownership program, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the buildings.
