Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the trust for venues, which works to save the UK's grassroots live music spots.
He was awarded the prize on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was named the top album of the last 12 months.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots played in his beginning days.
"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help independent venues.
Sam Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his live tour to help 38 small stages across Britain.
The money helped spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that funds from performances in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.
The musician is among several artists to contribute his honor funds to charitable organizations.
Back when they earned the prize in 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Cocker stated that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, musician the artist split her prize among several good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told outlets.
Two years ago, the band donated their prize money to the youth organization that developed their band, as well as other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients the group donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," said vocalist the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success impacted another person's life."
Last week, the trust shared it had protected several small stages in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The first in Southampton and The Croft in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "shares" in the venues.
