The artist donates his £25k prize Mercury Prize to small music venues

The star has given the complete sum of his £25k honor prize money to the MVT, which functions to preserve the UK's grassroots live music spots.

Fender was presented with the prize on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.

The musician has decided to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots played in his initial steps.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing this success if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.

He also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist 38 grassroots venues across Britain.

These funds assisted spaces that were facing possible closure due to issues arising from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Some locations obtained monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in major spaces backs the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.

Fender is far from the only musician to donate his award winnings to charitable organizations.

When Pulp received the award in 1996 for their release their work, vocalist Cocker stated that the group would contribute their winnings to the charity War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer she divided her prize among a few charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," she told outlets.

Previously, they donated their winnings to the community center that supported their act, as well as other independent music bodies.

And the 1994 recipients the group donated their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the disease.

"Receiving the award was ample," stated singer Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success touched another person's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved several grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to local control.

The first in the city and the other in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.