Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which functions to save the UK's small music venues.
He was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
He has decided to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports independent venues.
He also joined in, raising over £100k on his recent tour to help 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds assisted spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges caused by floods, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The idea that revenue from concerts in big venues backs the independent spots, where it begins for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to give his honor winnings to good deeds.
When they earned the award in 1996 for their album their work, vocalist Cocker announced that the act would donate their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, musician the artist split her prize between several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," she explained to a publication.
In recent years, the band contributed their funds to the local youth club that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year they gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success touched another person's life."
Last week, the trust shared it had protected several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in that area and the second in Bristol were acquired under the community ownership scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the venues.
