Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which works to preserve the UK's small music venues.
Fender was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his new release his work was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the area, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.
In the last year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its efforts to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight small stages across the UK.
These funds assisted spaces that were facing imminent closure due to issues stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.
Other venues were granted funding support in modernizing infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and fans.
"The idea that funds from performances in big venues supports the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.
Fender is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.
When they earned the prize in 1996 for their release their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.
During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite shared her prize among a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," she told a publication.
Previously, the band gave their funds to the community center that developed their act, as well as other local music groups.
Additionally the 1994 recipients they donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked vocalist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning touched somebody else's life."
Recently, the MVT shared it had rescued a couple of small stages in that region, by placing them under local control.
One venue in that area and the second in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the properties.
