Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the award on mid-October as his third album his work was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
He has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous small stages across the UK.
The donation supported venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges arising from flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in improving amenities and gear that helped artists and fans.
"The concept that funds from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
He is among several artists to donate his honor winnings to charitable organizations.
When they received the award in 1996 for their record the album, vocalist Cocker stated that the act would give their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, rapper and singer the artist split her bounty among several good causes, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to a publication.
Previously, they contributed their winnings to the community center that developed their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year the group gave their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"The victory was ample," remarked artist Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success affected the lives of others."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved a couple of local spots in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
The Joiners in that area and the second in the city were purchased under the community ownership program, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the venues.
