Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which functions to save the UK's grassroots music venues.
Fender was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his third album People Watching was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
He has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
These funds helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to issues arising from water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Some locations received monetary aid in upgrading amenities and gear that helped artists and fans.
"The concept that money from shows in major spaces backs the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his honor prize money to worthy causes.
When they received the award in the year 1996 for their release their work, vocalist the singer declared that the band would donate their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her bounty between a few charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite told a publication.
Previously, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also winners that year M People donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," said vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had protected several small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.
The first in that area and the second in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "shares" in the buildings.
