Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k award winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
He was presented with the prize on mid-October as his third album the album was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
The musician has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I did around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," said Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support 38 small stages across the UK.
The donation supported spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to issues caused by floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped performers and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from performances in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.
He is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
Back when the band earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album their work, lead singer the singer declared that the act would donate their cash to the organization War Child.
During 2002, musician the artist shared her bounty among a few organizations, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed updated gear," she told a publication.
Previously, the band gave their winnings to the community center that nurtured their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also the 1994 recipients the group gave their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said artist the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning touched another person's life."
In the past week, the MVT revealed it had saved several small stages in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in that area and the second in that location were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the properties.
