Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the UK's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the prize on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots had in his early career.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.
Fender also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his live tour to help numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation assisted spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The idea that revenue from concerts in big venues supports the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.
In Pulp won the award in the mid-90s for their record the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would give their winnings to the organization the charity.
During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her prize between several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required updated gear," the artist shared with the media.
In recent years, they gave their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other local music groups.
And 1994 winners they contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"The victory was ample," said vocalist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the trust announced it had protected two grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The first in the city and the second in that location were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.
