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Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the UK's independent music venues.

Fender was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his third album the album was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

Fender has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues had in his early career.

"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have shut down – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across Britain.

These funds helped spaces that were confronting possible closure due to challenges caused by water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Other venues obtained financial assistance in modernizing amenities and gear that directly benefitted artists and fans.

"The idea that money from concerts in major spaces supports the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.

Fender is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.

In they received the award in the mid-90s for their album the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would give their prize money to the non-profit War Child.

That year, musician the artist split her award between several organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I gave a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," the artist explained to a publication.

Previously, the band contributed their winnings to the community center that nurtured their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Also 1994 winners they gave their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the disease.

"Winning was sufficient," stated artist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success touched another person's life."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued two grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.

One venue in the city and The Croft in the city were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the properties.