Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the MVT, which works to protect the Britain's independent music venues.
Fender was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his latest record the album was declared the top album of the past year.
He has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues had in his beginning days.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
Fender also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his live tour to help numerous local spots across Britain.
The money supported locations that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties arising from water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted funding support in improving facilities and gear that helped performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that funds from shows in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
When the band earned the prize in 1996 for their release the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would contribute their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer she shared her award between several organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to the media.
In recent years, they gave their winnings to the community center that supported their group, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners the group gave their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," said artist the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted the lives of others."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved several grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The first in that area and the other in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who buy "stakes" in the venues.
