Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 award winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to save the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
Fender was awarded the prize on mid-October as his new release the album was named the top album of the last 12 months.
He has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.
He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to help 38 small stages across Britain.
These funds assisted venues that were facing imminent closure due to challenges caused by flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and fans.
"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has stated.
The musician is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.
In Pulp received the award in the mid-90s for their release the album, lead singer the singer announced that the act would donate their winnings to the charity the charity.
During 2002, artist she split her bounty across multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to the media.
Previously, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Also winners that year they gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said artist Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory affected the lives of others."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued several small stages in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.
