Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
He was presented with the award on October 16 as his third album People Watching was chosen as the top album of the past year.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages played in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.
He also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to support 38 small stages across Britain.
These funds helped spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues arising from flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Additional spaces obtained funding support in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that funds from concerts in major spaces backs the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has stated.
He is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp received the award in the year 1996 for their record their work, frontman Cocker stated that the group would give their cash to the charity the charity.
In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite shared her prize among a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," she explained to a publication.
In recent years, the band contributed their winnings to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners they donated their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," said artist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted another person's life."
Last week, the MVT revealed it had saved two small stages in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
One venue in Southampton and the second in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "stakes" in the buildings.
