Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which functions to save the UK's small concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his third album his work was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues had in his early career.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.
Fender also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds helped venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by floods, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.
Some locations were granted monetary aid in modernizing amenities and gear that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The idea that funds from performances in large arenas backs the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.
The musician is among several artists to donate his honor prize money to good deeds.
When the band received the prize in 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman Cocker announced that the act would contribute their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
That year, musician she divided her prize between several organizations, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," the artist explained to the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients the group gave their award to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked vocalist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the trust announced it had saved two small stages in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
One venue in that area and the second in that location were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.
