Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which operates to protect the Britain's independent music venues.
Fender was presented with the prize on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.
He also participated, generating over £100k on his recent tour to help 38 local spots across Britain.
These funds helped spaces that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted financial assistance in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The concept that revenue from performances in large arenas backs the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has stated.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his award funds to charitable organizations.
When Pulp received the trophy in 1996 for their release their work, frontman the singer stated that the group would give their winnings to the charity War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her award across multiple good causes, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," she explained to outlets.
In recent years, they gave their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their act, in addition to other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients they contributed their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.
"The victory was quite enough," stated singer the singer. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory impacted another person's life."
Recently, the trust shared it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in that area and The Croft in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the properties.
