Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
He was given the cheque on 16 October as his new release his work was declared the top album of the previous year.
He has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.
Fender also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous local spots across Britain.
The donation assisted venues that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.
Other venues received monetary aid in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.
"The concept that revenue from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.
Fender is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
When the band received the award in the mid-90s for their record the album, lead singer Cocker declared that the group would contribute their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, artist the artist shared her award across several organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also gave a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed updated gear," she explained to a publication.
Previously, the band contributed their winnings to the local youth club that supported their group, as well as other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients M People contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the disease.
"The victory was ample," remarked vocalist Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory affected another person's life."
Last week, the MVT announced it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
The first in Southampton and the second in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership program, which is backed by a national body and supporters who buy "stakes" in the properties.
