Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
The star was given the award on October 16 as his new release his work was named the best record of the past year.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages had in his initial steps.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the performances I did around the area, and beyond, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, top acts including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation assisted spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues stemming from flooding, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Other venues received financial assistance in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that helped musicians and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in big venues helps the independent spots, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.
The musician is far from the only musician to give his honor winnings to charitable organizations.
In they won the award in the mid-90s for their record their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would contribute their cash to the organization the charity.
That year, rapper and singer the artist shared her award between a few charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.
Previously, the band donated their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, alongside other independent music bodies.
Also winners that year the group donated their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked singer Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued two local spots in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in that area and the other in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is supported by a national body and supporters who purchase "shares" in the buildings.
