Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which functions to save the UK's small concert spaces.
The star was awarded the prize on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the best record of the past year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the performances I did around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Recently, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds assisted venues that were facing imminent closure due to challenges stemming from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues.
Some locations were granted financial assistance in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.
"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces backs the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to give his honor winnings to worthy causes.
In the band received the trophy in 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would contribute their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer the artist shared her bounty among a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," she told outlets.
In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their prize money to the community center that developed their band, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally 1994 winners the group donated their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked singer the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under public stewardship.
The first in that area and the other in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by a national body and supporters who purchase "stakes" in the venues.
