Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the UK's small music venues.
Fender was presented with the prize on 16 October as his third album People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the past year.
He has decided to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages had in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
The money helped locations that were facing potential shutdown due to issues stemming from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from shows in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
He is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.
When Pulp received the prize in the mid-90s for their album the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, musician she shared her bounty across a few charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite told the media.
Two years ago, the band donated their winnings to the community center that supported their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally 1994 winners the group contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked artist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory impacted the lives of others."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued a couple of local spots in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who buy "shares" in the venues.
