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Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.

The star was given the prize on October 16 as his third album his work was named the outstanding release of the past year.

He has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages had in his beginning days.

"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the shows I played around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.

In the last year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports local stages.

Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation assisted locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues stemming from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.

Some locations received funding support in improving infrastructure and gear that positively impacted musicians and audiences.

"The notion that money from concerts in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has said.

He is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.

Back when they won the trophy in the year 1996 for their release the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would donate their cash to the organization War Child.

During 2002, musician she split her prize across a few organizations, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"I also donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," the artist shared with a publication.

Two years ago, the band gave their winnings to the local youth club that supported their group, as well as other independent music bodies.

And 1994 winners they gave their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.

"The victory was sufficient," stated artist Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning touched the lives of others."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected a couple of small stages in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The Joiners in Southampton and the other in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.