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Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the Britain's independent music venues.

He was given the prize on October 16 as his latest record the album was chosen as the best record of the past year.

Fender has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots had in his beginning days.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

He also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.

The donation helped locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues stemming from flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.

Some locations received monetary aid in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and audiences.

"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces backs the local stages, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.

He is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to worthy causes.

In Pulp received the trophy in 1996 for their album Different Class, lead singer the singer announced that the act would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.

That year, musician she split her award among multiple organizations, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," she shared with a publication.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the community center that nurtured their act, as well as other local music groups.

And 1994 winners they donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.

"Winning was quite enough," stated artist Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory touched somebody else's life."

Last week, the trust revealed it had protected two small stages in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.

One venue in the city and The Croft in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "stakes" in the properties.