Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's small concert spaces.
He was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the past year.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," said Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his recent tour to support numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation supported spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and sound issues.
Some locations obtained funding support in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in big venues supports the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
He is not the first artist to give his award winnings to good deeds.
In Pulp earned the award in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, vocalist the singer announced that the group would give their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, musician Ms Dynamite divided her award among several organizations, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed updated gear," she shared with a publication.
Previously, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients M People donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the illness.
"The victory was ample," said vocalist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning touched another person's life."
Recently, the trust shared it had protected several small stages in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The first in Southampton and the other in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the properties.
