Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25k award winnings to the trust for venues, which works to protect the United Kingdom's small music venues.
The star was given the award on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was named the top album of the past year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots had in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.
Recently, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped locations that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges caused by flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from shows in large arenas backs the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
In the band received the prize in the year 1996 for their album their work, vocalist the singer declared that the act would give their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
During 2002, rapper and singer she shared her bounty across multiple charities, like the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a grand to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," the artist shared with a publication.
In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the local youth club that developed their act, as well as other local music groups.
And winners that year the group gave their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," said singer the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning affected another person's life."
Recently, the MVT shared it had rescued two grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in that area and the other in that location were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the buildings.
