Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which works to save the UK's grassroots live music spots.
Fender was awarded the prize on 16 October as his third album People Watching was declared the top album of the past year.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was beginning," said the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money assisted locations that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties caused by flooding, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.
Additional spaces obtained funding support in improving facilities and gear that helped performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that funds from performances in large arenas supports the local stages, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has said.
Fender is not the first artist to give his honor prize money to good deeds.
When the band received the trophy in the year 1996 for their record their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would contribute their prize money to the organization the charity.
That year, rapper and singer the artist divided her prize among several charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I gave a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," she shared with a publication.
In recent years, they gave their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients M People gave their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked vocalist the singer. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning touched another person's life."
Last week, the trust revealed it had saved two local spots in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.
The Joiners in that area and the other in Bristol were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.
