Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to save the United Kingdom's small music venues.
Fender was given the cheque on mid-October as his third album People Watching was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots had in his beginning days.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the performances I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.
Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to support thirty-eight local spots across Britain.
The donation helped venues that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties arising from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Other venues obtained funding support in upgrading facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and audiences.
"The concept that money from concerts in big venues helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
The musician is among several artists to give his honor prize money to worthy causes.
Back when the band received the prize in the year 1996 for their album their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would contribute their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
That year, rapper and singer the artist shared her bounty across multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite told a publication.
In recent years, the band contributed their prize money to the community center that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Also 1994 winners they contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was found to have the illness.
"The victory was sufficient," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted the lives of others."
Last week, the MVT shared it had protected several grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in that location were purchased under the community ownership program, which is backed by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the properties.
