Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
He was presented with the prize on October 16 as his new release the album was declared the outstanding release of the past year.
He has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part small stages played in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I did around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, top acts including Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his recent tour to help numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped locations that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from performances in large arenas helps the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.
When the band received the award in the mid-90s for their album the album, lead singer the singer stated that the group would give their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, rapper and singer she split her prize across a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," she shared with the media.
Two years ago, they gave their winnings to the local youth club that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Also 1994 winners they gave their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the disease.
"The victory was quite enough," stated singer the singer. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our success impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the MVT revealed it had protected several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in the city were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who buy "stakes" in the properties.
