Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to preserve the UK's independent music venues.
Fender was awarded the award on October 16 as his latest record the album was named the top album of the previous year.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"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," said Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.
Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds assisted venues that were facing possible closure due to issues arising from floods, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Other venues were granted funding support in modernizing facilities and gear that helped artists and fans.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces backs the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
When the band won the trophy in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist the singer stated that the band would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
During 2002, artist the artist divided her bounty between multiple charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," the artist shared with the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their prize money to the community center that supported their band, alongside other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year they gave their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.
"Winning was ample," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
Last week, the MVT announced it had saved a couple of small stages in the South East, by bringing them into local control.
The first in that area and the second in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the buildings.
