Sam Fender has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was given the award on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
He also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
These funds assisted venues that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The idea that funds from performances in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.
He is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
In Pulp won the trophy in 1996 for their release their work, frontman the singer stated that the act would give their prize money to the organization the charity.
During 2002, musician she divided her bounty between a few charities, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," she told outlets.
Previously, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the youth organization that supported their act, in addition to other local music groups.
And 1994 winners they gave their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked singer Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the trust shared it had protected several local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
The first in Southampton and the other in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.
