Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
Fender was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his new release the album was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots had in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.
Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to support numerous small stages across the UK.
The donation assisted locations that were facing possible closure due to difficulties caused by water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations were granted funding support in modernizing facilities and gear that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The idea that money from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to contribute his honor funds to charitable organizations.
In they received the prize in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.
In 2002, musician the artist shared her bounty among multiple good causes, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also donated a grand to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.
Two years ago, they contributed their funds to the local youth club that supported their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also the 1994 recipients M People contributed their prize to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the disease.
"Winning was ample," stated vocalist Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning touched another person's life."
Recently, the MVT revealed it had protected a couple of local spots in the South East, by transferring them to local control.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the venues.
