Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k award cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's grassroots music venues.
Fender was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his third album the album was named the best record of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," said Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
Sam Fender also took part, generating in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to support thirty-eight small stages across Britain.
The money supported locations that were facing imminent closure due to issues arising from flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that helped performers and audiences.
"The notion that money from performances in major spaces supports the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.
Fender is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp earned the trophy in 1996 for their album the album, vocalist the singer declared that the band would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, artist Ms Dynamite shared her prize between multiple good causes, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
In recent years, the band donated their winnings to the community center that developed their act, as well as other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients the group donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked vocalist Small. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success touched the lives of others."
Last week, the trust revealed it had rescued a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
