Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25,000 honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
He was awarded the prize on October 16 as his third album the album was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues played in his early career.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, major artists including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation helped spaces that were facing possible closure due to challenges stemming from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted funding support in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when they won the trophy in the mid-90s for their release the album, vocalist the singer declared that the group would donate their prize money to the organization War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her bounty across a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," she explained to outlets.
Two years ago, they contributed their prize money to the local youth club that supported their band, in addition to other local music groups.
And winners that year the group gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected another person's life."
Recently, the trust shared it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The first in Southampton and the other in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
