Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was given the prize on mid-October as his new release People Watching was declared the top album of the last 12 months.
He has opted to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues had in his initial steps.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across Britain.
The donation supported spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues stemming from floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that helped musicians and audiences.
"The concept that funds from shows in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
Fender is among several artists to donate his honor prize money to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp earned the award in the year 1996 for their record the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer she divided her bounty among several good causes, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," the artist shared with outlets.
In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the youth organization that developed their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners the group gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," said singer the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust revealed it had protected several local spots in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in that location were bought under the public acquisition program, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the buildings.
