Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
The star was given the award on October 16 as his new release People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role local spots played in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I did around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.
He also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to help 38 small stages across the UK.
The donation assisted spaces that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties arising from water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations were granted funding support in improving facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The idea that money from performances in major spaces backs the local stages, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
The musician is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp won the award in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, vocalist Cocker announced that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
That year, rapper and singer she split her bounty across multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," the artist shared with the media.
In recent years, they gave their funds to the local youth club that developed their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients the group gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"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 honor. So our success affected another person's life."
In the past week, the trust announced it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and the other in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.
