Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
He was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his latest record his work was named the best record of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots played in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to help thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues.
Some locations were granted financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The concept that money from shows in large arenas helps the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
The musician is among several artists to contribute his award winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when the band won the award in 1996 for their album Different Class, lead singer Cocker stated that the group would give their prize money to the organization the charity.
In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite split her prize among a few good causes, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.
In recent years, they gave their funds to the local youth club that supported their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year the group contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," stated artist Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success affected the lives of others."
Recently, the trust announced it had rescued several small stages in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in Southampton and the second in the city were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by a national body and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.
