Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the Britain's small live music spots.
Fender was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was named the outstanding release of the past year.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the performances I did around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, major artists including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits independent venues.
He also participated, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
The money helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties arising from floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.
Other venues received monetary aid in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The idea that revenue from performances in large arenas helps the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
He is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
In they won the prize in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would give their cash to the organization War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her bounty across multiple good causes, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I gave a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed updated gear," she explained to a publication.
Previously, Ezra Collective gave their winnings to the local youth club that nurtured their band, as well as other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients M People gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated vocalist Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted the lives of others."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected two grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in Southampton and the other in that location were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the venues.
