Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's small music venues.
Fender was given the prize on mid-October as his third album People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped locations that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties caused by water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Other venues were granted monetary aid in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.
"The notion that revenue from performances in big venues supports the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
He is far from the only musician to give his award prize money to charitable organizations.
When the band earned the trophy in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman the singer announced that the group would donate their cash to the charity the charity.
In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite shared her prize across multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," Ms Dynamite told the media.
Previously, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners M People donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," said vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched the lives of others."
Last week, the MVT shared it had saved two local spots in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in that area and the second in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the buildings.
