Sam Fender has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the award on 16 October as his third album the album was named the top album of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages played in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Recently, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
He also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous local spots across Britain.
The money supported venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges arising from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in modernizing facilities and gear that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The notion that funds from concerts in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to worthy causes.
Back when they earned the trophy in 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist Cocker stated that the group would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, musician the artist divided her bounty between a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.
Previously, they donated their winnings to the community center that supported their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year the group donated their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success touched another person's life."
Last week, the trust shared it had protected several local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.
The first in Southampton and the other in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "shares" in the venues.
