Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the trust for venues, which works to protect the United Kingdom's small music venues.
The star was awarded the prize on October 16 as his new release the album was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function local spots had in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.
Fender also joined in, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to support 38 small stages across Britain.
These funds helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to challenges arising from water damage, fires and personal losses, 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 concertgoers.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in big venues helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.
The musician is among several artists to give his award funds to charitable organizations.
In they won the award in the year 1996 for their record their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would give their cash to the non-profit the charity.
That year, musician she split her award between multiple organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," she explained to a publication.
Previously, they contributed their funds to the local youth club that supported their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
Also the 1994 recipients the group donated their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was ample," said vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust revealed it had protected two grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to local control.
The Joiners in that area and the second in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the properties.
