Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the United Kingdom's small music venues.
Fender was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his latest record the album was declared the best record of the previous year.
He has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits independent venues.
He also participated, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to help 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds helped venues that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties arising from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted funding support in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.
"The notion that money from performances in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," the star has stated.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his award prize money to good deeds.
Back when Pulp earned the award in 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist the singer declared that the group would donate their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, artist the artist divided her award across several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.
Two years ago, they gave their prize money to the youth organization that supported their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year M People gave their award to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the condition.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked artist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved several local spots in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.
The first in the city and The Croft in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the venues.
