Sam Fender has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to save the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
He was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his third album the album was declared the best record of the previous year.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the area, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These venues are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his live tour to help numerous small stages across the UK.
The money supported venues that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.
In they earned the prize in the mid-90s for their release the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, rapper and singer she divided her prize among a few good causes, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," she explained to the media.
Previously, Ezra Collective gave their winnings to the community center that developed their group, as well as other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients the group donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the condition.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked vocalist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the MVT shared it had saved several small stages in that region, by placing them under local control.
One venue in the city and The Croft in that location were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who buy "stakes" in the buildings.
