Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the UK's small concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the prize on mid-October as his new release the album was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
He has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages played in his early career.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, top acts including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
Sam Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to challenges stemming from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.
Other venues obtained financial assistance in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that helped performers and audiences.
"The idea that funds from concerts in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
He is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
When Pulp received the trophy in the year 1996 for their record the album, vocalist Cocker stated that the group would give their winnings to the charity War Child.
In 2002, musician she split her prize across a few organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.
Previously, the band gave their winnings to the local youth club that developed their act, alongside other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year they contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was sufficient," stated singer the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted another person's life."
Recently, the MVT announced it had rescued a couple of small stages in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in the city and the other in that location were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by a national body and music fans who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
