Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the prize on 16 October as his latest record the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight small stages across Britain.
These funds helped locations that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in modernizing facilities and gear that helped artists and fans.
"The notion that money from concerts in big venues helps the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
He is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.
Back when the band received the award in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, lead singer the singer stated that the act would give their cash to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, musician she divided her award between several good causes, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," the artist told the media.
Two years ago, the band donated their funds to the community center that nurtured their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally winners that year the group donated their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said vocalist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected two local spots in that region, by bringing them into local control.
One venue in that area and the second in that location were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by a national body and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the properties.
