Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
He was presented with the award on mid-October as his new release People Watching was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.
Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received funding support in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from shows in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.
Fender is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.
When the band earned the prize in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman the singer announced that the group would give their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, musician she split her bounty across several good causes, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I gave a grand to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," the artist explained to a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the community center that developed their act, as well as other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients M People contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the illness.
"The victory was quite enough," said artist Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched the lives of others."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.
The Joiners in that area and the second in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
