Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.
He was given the cheque on 16 October as his latest record the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.
In the last year, major artists such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits independent venues.
Fender also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds assisted locations that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues caused by floods, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.
Other venues were granted monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and gear that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from shows in big venues helps the independent spots, where it begins for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has said.
He is not the first artist to contribute his honor winnings to worthy causes.
In they won the award in 1996 for their release the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would donate their prize money to the charity the charity.
In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite divided her bounty across a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
In recent years, they contributed their prize money to the community center that nurtured their group, as well as other local music groups.
Also 1994 winners the group gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success touched somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved two grassroots venues in that region, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "stakes" in the buildings.
