Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
The star was awarded the prize on mid-October as his new release his work was declared the best record of the past year.
He has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function small stages played in his beginning days.
"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges caused by floods, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Some locations were granted monetary aid in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that funds from performances in big venues supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.
He is far from the only musician to give his honor winnings to worthy causes.
In they received the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, frontman Cocker announced that the act would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, artist the artist divided her award across a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," she explained to the media.
Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners M People donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked singer the singer. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning touched somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected two small stages in the South East, by placing them under local control.
The first in that area and The Croft in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by a national body and music fans who buy "stakes" in the buildings.
