Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 award winnings to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the UK's small music venues.
Fender was presented with the award on October 16 as his third album his work was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots played in his beginning days.
"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help independent venues.
He also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in upgrading facilities and gear that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The notion that funds from performances in large arenas backs the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
He is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp earned the award in the year 1996 for their release the album, frontman Cocker stated that the band would contribute their prize money to the charity the charity.
During 2002, artist the artist divided her award among several charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with outlets.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, alongside other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners the group donated their prize to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the illness.
"The victory was sufficient," stated vocalist Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning affected the lives of others."
In the past week, the trust shared it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.
The first in the city and the second in the city were purchased under the community ownership scheme, which is funded by a national body and music fans who buy "stakes" in the properties.
