Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which works to protect the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
He was given the award on 16 October as his new release his work was named the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, top acts including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped locations that were confronting possible closure due to issues caused by water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in improving infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The concept that funds from shows in big venues backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.
When they received the prize in the mid-90s for their release the album, lead singer Cocker stated that the group would donate their cash to the charity War Child.
That year, rapper and singer she divided her prize across a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.
In recent years, the band gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their band, as well as other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their award to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the illness.
"Winning was sufficient," said singer Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning touched another person's life."
Recently, the MVT shared it had rescued two local spots in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The Joiners in the city and the other in the city were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is supported by a national body and music fans who purchase "shares" in the venues.
