Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the trust for venues, which works to protect the UK's small live music spots.
He was given the cheque on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the last 12 months.
The musician has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I did around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.
In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation supported spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.
Additional spaces received funding support in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The concept that money from concerts in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his honor winnings to worthy causes.
In the band received the award in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, frontman the singer declared that the act would donate their winnings to the charity the charity.
That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her prize among a few organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.
Previously, the band gave their funds to the local youth club that supported their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally 1994 winners they donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the illness.
"The victory was ample," stated artist Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our success impacted another person's life."
Last week, the MVT shared it had rescued several grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in that area and the other in the city were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
