Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to save the Britain's small concert spaces.
Fender was given the prize on mid-October as his latest record his work was declared the top album of the last 12 months.
He has decided to give the cash to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, major artists such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to support 38 small stages across Britain.
The donation supported venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges arising from floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Other venues received monetary aid in upgrading facilities and gear that helped artists and audiences.
"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.
When the band received the prize in 1996 for their record their work, frontman Cocker announced that the band would contribute their winnings to the charity the charity.
That year, rapper and singer the artist split her bounty between a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I donated a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.
Two years ago, the band donated their funds to the local youth club that developed their band, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also winners that year they contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was ample," stated singer Small. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory affected the lives of others."
In the past week, the MVT revealed it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
The first in that area and The Croft in that location were purchased under the community ownership scheme, which is funded by a national body and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
