Sam Fender has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was given the prize on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.
The musician has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous small stages across Britain.
The money supported venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues arising from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations were granted monetary aid in modernizing facilities and gear that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The notion that funds from shows in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.
Back when Pulp received the prize in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, frontman the singer declared that the act would give their winnings to the organization War Child.
In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite split her prize between a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," she shared with the media.
Two years ago, they donated their prize money to the community center that developed their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year they contributed their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked artist Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the trust announced it had saved several local spots in the South East, by transferring them to local control.
The first in that area and the other in that location were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is funded by a national body and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.
