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Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 honor cash to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.

He was presented with the award on mid-October as his new release the album was named the top album of the previous year.

Fender has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function local spots played in his beginning days.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.

Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his live tour to support thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money supported locations that were confronting possible closure due to issues caused by flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.

Some locations received monetary aid in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that helped performers and audiences.

"The idea that money from shows in large arenas helps the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has said.

The musician is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.

Back when they earned the award in the year 1996 for their album their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would contribute their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, artist the artist shared her award across several good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," the artist shared with the media.

In recent years, the band gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their act, alongside other local music groups.

And winners that year M People gave their award to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.

"Winning was sufficient," remarked artist Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our success affected somebody else's life."

Recently, the trust shared it had protected several small stages in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.

The Joiners in the city and The Croft in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.