Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which operates to save the Britain's small music venues.
Fender was given the prize on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was named the outstanding release of the past year.
He has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues played in his early career.
"I would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Recently, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.
He also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges arising from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations received financial assistance in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The notion that funds from concerts in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to give his honor funds to charitable organizations.
When the band earned the award in the mid-90s for their record their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would give their prize money to the organization War Child.
In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite split her prize across several good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," the artist shared with a publication.
Previously, they gave their funds to the community center that developed their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Also winners that year M People donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was found to have the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked singer Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted another person's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected two grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and The Croft in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.
