Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the Britain's small concert spaces.
The star was presented with the prize on 16 October as his new release People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Recently, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.
Sam Fender also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported spaces that were confronting possible closure due to challenges arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and concertgoers.
"The concept that funds from concerts in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
He is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.
In Pulp received the award in 1996 for their record Different Class, vocalist the singer declared that the group would donate their cash to the charity War Child.
In 2002, artist the artist divided her award among several organizations, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," the artist explained to the media.
Previously, they contributed their funds to the youth organization that supported their band, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Also 1994 winners they contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked singer the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted the lives of others."
Last week, the trust shared it had protected several grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition program, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the buildings.
