Sam Fender has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the Britain's grassroots music venues.
The star was given the award on 16 October as his latest record the album was named the top album of the past year.
He has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds supported venues that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges caused by floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Other venues were granted funding support in modernizing infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from shows in big venues helps the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
Fender is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize prize money to worthy causes.
Back when the band won the award in the mid-90s for their record the album, lead singer the singer announced that the group would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, artist she divided her prize between multiple organizations, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," Ms Dynamite told a publication.
In recent years, they gave their prize money to the community center that nurtured their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients M People gave their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was found to have the illness.
"The victory was ample," stated vocalist Small. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected another person's life."
Recently, the trust revealed it had protected two local spots in that region, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in that area and the second in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the buildings.
