Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which functions to protect the UK's grassroots music venues.
Fender was given the cheque on October 16 as his new release People Watching was declared the best record of the previous year.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots had in his early career.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16% of the total UK scene.
In the last year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation assisted locations that were confronting possible closure due to issues arising from water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.
Other venues received funding support in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from performances in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
He is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.
When the band earned the prize in the mid-90s for their record their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer she divided her prize across multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.
Previously, they gave their prize money to the community center that developed their band, alongside other local music groups.
And 1994 winners M People donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," said vocalist the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had saved several small stages in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.
The first in Southampton and the other in the city were bought under the public acquisition program, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.
