Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 award cash to the MVT, which works to preserve the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was given the prize on October 16 as his third album People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.
Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his recent tour to help 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped venues that were facing possible closure due to challenges caused by flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.
"The notion that funds from shows in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
He is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.
In the band earned the trophy in 1996 for their record their work, frontman Cocker declared that the act would contribute their winnings to the organization the charity.
In 2002, artist she split her award among a few charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," she shared with the media.
In recent years, the band gave their prize money to the youth organization that developed their act, in addition to other local music groups.
Also winners that year M People contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.
"The victory was ample," stated artist Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted the lives of others."
Last week, the MVT announced it had protected several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
The first in that area and the other in Bristol were acquired under the community ownership program, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who acquire "shares" in the venues.
