Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
Fender was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
He has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation assisted locations that were confronting possible closure due to challenges caused by water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations received financial assistance in improving facilities and gear that helped performers and audiences.
"The notion that money from performances in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.
In the band earned the award in 1996 for their album the album, frontman Cocker stated that the act would contribute their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
That year, artist she split her bounty across several good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite told outlets.
Previously, they gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their band, alongside other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients they contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted the lives of others."
In the past week, the trust shared it had rescued a couple of small stages in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
The first in the city and the second in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
