Sam Fender has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
He was awarded the prize on 16 October as his latest record his work was chosen as the best record of the previous year.
He has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the crucial part small stages had in his initial steps.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, generating over £100k on his recent tour to support numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds assisted locations that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges caused by water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.
Some locations received financial assistance in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted artists and fans.
"The concept that funds from shows in major spaces helps the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
The musician is not the first artist to give his award prize money to charitable organizations.
In the band earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Cocker stated that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite shared her bounty across a few charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," she explained to a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their prize money to the local youth club that developed their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year M People gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was ample," stated singer the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."
Last week, the MVT shared it had protected a couple of small stages in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and the other in that location were bought under the community ownership program, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.
