Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 honor cash to the MVT, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's small music venues.
He was given the prize on 16 October as his latest record his work was declared the top album of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the essential function local spots had in his initial steps.
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.
In the last year, top acts including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across Britain.
The donation helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues caused by floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations received monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and gear that helped performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that funds from shows in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
In Pulp earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman Cocker stated that the band would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
During 2002, musician the artist shared her bounty among several organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," she told the media.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the youth organization that developed their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also winners that year they contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked artist the singer. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success affected another person's life."
Recently, the MVT shared it had protected two local spots in that region, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in the city and The Croft in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the properties.
