Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which functions to protect the UK's independent concert spaces.
Fender was given the prize on October 16 as his new release his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
Fender also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds assisted locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues stemming from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.
Other venues obtained financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The notion that money from performances in large arenas helps the local stages, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," the star has said.
Fender is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.
In Pulp won the award in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would contribute their winnings to the organization War Child.
In 2002, musician the artist split her award between several organizations, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also gave a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," she shared with the media.
In recent years, they donated their funds to the community center that developed their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
Additionally 1994 winners they gave their award to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"The victory was quite enough," stated singer the singer. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued several local spots in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who buy "shares" in the properties.
