Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the UK's independent live music spots.
He was awarded the prize on mid-October as his new release People Watching was chosen as the best record of the past year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I did around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.
He also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist 38 local spots across Britain.
These funds helped spaces that were facing imminent closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and sound issues.
Other venues received monetary aid in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The concept that revenue from concerts in major spaces supports the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
He is far from the only musician to donate his honor prize money to good deeds.
Back when Pulp won the prize in 1996 for their record their work, vocalist Cocker declared that the group would contribute their cash to the organization the charity.
That year, rapper and singer the artist split her bounty between several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," she explained to a publication.
Two years ago, they gave their prize money to the community center that developed their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year the group contributed their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked singer Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected another person's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had rescued two local spots in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The first in that area and the second in that location were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the properties.
