Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's small music venues.
The star was given the award on October 16 as his new release his work was declared the best record of the past year.
He has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have shut down – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
Fender also joined in, generating over £100k on his live tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds helped locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges caused by water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and sound issues.
Other venues received financial assistance in improving facilities and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
Fender is among several artists to give his honor winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when they earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their album their work, lead singer the singer announced that the band would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her bounty among a few organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," she shared with a publication.
Previously, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the community center that nurtured their band, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally the 1994 recipients the group contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated singer the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning touched the lives of others."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had saved a couple of small stages in the South East, by transferring them to local control.
The first in that area and the second in Bristol were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the properties.
