Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the UK's grassroots music venues.
He was awarded the prize on 16 October as his third album his work was declared the best record of the past year.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues played in his early career.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money assisted spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues caused by water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Other venues were granted funding support in modernizing amenities and gear that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.
"The idea that money from concerts in big venues supports the local stages, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.
In the band won the prize in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, vocalist the singer announced that the group would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, musician she shared her award across multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a grand to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," the artist told a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the local youth club that supported their group, in addition to other local music groups.
And 1994 winners they donated their award to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"Winning was quite enough," stated singer Small. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our success affected another person's life."
In the past week, the trust shared it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
One venue in that area and the other in the city were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is funded by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the venues.
