Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which functions to save the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the award on 16 October as his third album his work was named the best record of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues had in his early career.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits independent venues.
Fender also took part, generating over £100k on his live tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
The money assisted spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues caused by flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Other venues received monetary aid in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and audiences.
"The concept that funds from performances in big venues supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
The musician is among several artists to donate his award funds to charitable organizations.
When they earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would give their winnings to the organization the charity.
In 2002, artist she shared her award among several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she explained to the media.
In recent years, the band donated their winnings to the community center that nurtured their act, as well as other local music groups.
Also 1994 winners they donated their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was ample," remarked artist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had saved two grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to local control.
The first in Southampton and The Croft in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.
