Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
The star was awarded the prize on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the best record of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots played in his initial steps.
"I would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the performances I played around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, top acts like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to support the industry, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.
Fender also took part, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds assisted locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that helped performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is among several artists to give his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
When they won the trophy in the mid-90s for their release their work, vocalist Cocker declared that the group would contribute their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her prize across several good causes, like the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with outlets.
Previously, the band gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their group, alongside other local music groups.
And winners that year M People donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked artist Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success touched the lives of others."
Last week, the MVT shared it had protected a couple of small stages in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The first in that area and The Croft in Bristol were acquired under the community ownership scheme, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.
