Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
He was presented with the award on mid-October as his third album the album was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.
He has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
He also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation assisted locations that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges caused by flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations received funding support in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that revenue from shows in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.
He is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.
In Pulp earned the prize in the mid-90s for their release the album, lead singer the singer declared that the group would give their winnings to the organization War Child.
That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her prize between multiple organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.
Previously, the band donated their winnings to the community center that nurtured their band, alongside other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners the group gave their award to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the illness.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked vocalist the singer. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had saved several local spots in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in the city were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the properties.
