Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
Fender was given the prize on mid-October as his new release the album was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
He has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the region, and beyond, when I was beginning," said the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
The money helped spaces that were facing possible closure due to issues caused by water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Other venues received financial assistance in improving facilities and gear that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that revenue from performances in large arenas helps the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.
Fender is among several artists to contribute his honor funds to good deeds.
When Pulp won the award in 1996 for their album Different Class, frontman the singer declared that the act would contribute their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, musician she shared her award between a few charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," the artist shared with the media.
In recent years, they gave their funds to the local youth club that developed their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients M People donated their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated artist the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT announced it had protected two local spots in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in that area and the other in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by a national body and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.
