Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the Britain's grassroots music venues.
He was awarded the prize on October 16 as his third album his work was named the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has decided to give the cash to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages had in his early career.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
He also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to help 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds supported locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges caused by flooding, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.
Other venues received funding support in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The idea that revenue from performances in major spaces helps the local stages, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.
Fender is far from the only musician to give his award prize money to good deeds.
In Pulp earned the trophy in 1996 for their record their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her prize between several charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told a publication.
Previously, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their act, as well as other local music groups.
And winners that year M People gave their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said singer the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning affected another person's life."
Last week, the trust shared it had rescued several grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in Southampton and the other in Bristol were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the venues.
