Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 award prize money to the trust for venues, which works to preserve the Britain's small concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was named the top album of the past year.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots had in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.
Fender also joined in, generating over £100k on his live tour to help numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds supported spaces that were facing possible closure due to difficulties stemming from water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in improving amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from performances in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," the star has stated.
The musician is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.
When the band won the prize in 1996 for their release the album, frontman Cocker stated that the group would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, musician the artist divided her bounty between a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told outlets.
In recent years, the band gave their prize money to the community center that nurtured their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients the group contributed their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.
"Winning was ample," remarked singer Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our success touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust shared it had rescued two grassroots venues in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in Southampton and the other in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the buildings.
