Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
The star was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his new release the album was declared the best record of the past year.
The musician has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots had in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous small stages across Britain.
The money supported venues that were facing potential shutdown due to issues arising from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Other venues obtained financial assistance in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces backs the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to give his award funds to charitable organizations.
Back when the band earned the award in 1996 for their release their work, lead singer Cocker declared that the group would give their winnings to the charity the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her prize among several good causes, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," the artist explained to the media.
Previously, the band contributed their funds to the community center that developed their group, alongside other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients they gave their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"The victory was sufficient," said artist Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust revealed it had protected several local spots in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in that area and the other in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership program, which is funded by a national body and supporters who buy "stakes" in the properties.
