Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which operates to protect the UK's independent concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his third album his work was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function small stages had in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
The money assisted spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.
Other venues received funding support in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The idea that funds from concerts in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
The musician is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
When Pulp received the prize in the year 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would give their cash to the charity War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer she split her bounty across several charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," she explained to a publication.
Previously, the band gave their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, alongside other local music groups.
Also winners that year M People donated their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the condition.
"Winning was sufficient," stated singer Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had saved several small stages in that region, by placing them under local control.
The first in Southampton and the second in that location were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the buildings.
