The musician donates his £25k prize Mercury Prize to small concert halls
The star has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
The star was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his new release the album was named the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Recently, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation assisted locations that were confronting possible closure due to challenges arising from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and sound issues.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from performances in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.
He is among several artists to give his award funds to good deeds.
Back when the band received the trophy in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
That year, musician Ms Dynamite shared her prize across several charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she explained to the media.
Two years ago, the band contributed their winnings to the youth organization that supported their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And 1994 winners M People contributed their award to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the condition.
"Winning was sufficient," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved several grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
The first in the city and the second in that location were bought under the public acquisition program, which is backed by a national body and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.