Sam Fender has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was presented with the prize on 16 October as his latest record the album was named the top album of the previous year.
He has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
He also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous local spots across Britain.
These funds assisted locations that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations were granted funding support in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The idea that money from shows in big venues supports the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
The musician is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when Pulp earned the award in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, vocalist Cocker declared that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
That year, artist she divided her prize between several organizations, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.
Two years ago, they gave their winnings to the community center that nurtured their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year the group contributed their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted the lives of others."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.
