Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25k award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the United Kingdom's small music venues.
He was presented with the prize on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the best record of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues had in his initial steps.
"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the shows I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.
In the last year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.
He also took part, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous small stages across the UK.
The donation assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.
The musician is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize prize money to worthy causes.
In Pulp earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Cocker stated that the act would contribute their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
That year, musician she shared her prize across several organizations, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.
Two years ago, they contributed their prize money to the local youth club that supported their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally winners that year M People donated their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked artist Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success affected another person's life."
In the past week, the trust shared it had protected two local spots in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.
One venue in that area and the other in Bristol were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.
