Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k honor cash to the MVT, which works to protect the UK's grassroots music venues.
He was given the award on mid-October as his third album the album was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues stemming from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.
Other venues received funding support in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and fans.
"The notion that revenue from performances in major spaces helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.
Fender is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
When they received the award in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would donate their prize money to the organization War Child.
In 2002, artist the artist shared her bounty among several charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," she told outlets.
Two years ago, the band gave their prize money to the community center that supported their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Also the 1994 recipients they donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked vocalist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued two small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the properties.
