Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the Britain's small music venues.
Fender was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his new release People Watching was named the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part small stages had in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.
He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
The money supported spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received funding support in upgrading infrastructure and gear that helped musicians and fans.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," the star has said.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.
Back when Pulp earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, frontman the singer announced that the band would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, artist the artist divided her prize across multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked updated gear," she explained to the media.
In recent years, they donated their funds to the youth organization that developed their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year the group contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked singer Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected another person's life."
In the past week, the trust announced it had protected a couple of small stages in that region, by transferring them to local control.
The Joiners in the city and The Croft in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and supporters who purchase "shares" in the properties.
