Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 honor cash to the MVT, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
The star was presented with the prize on 16 October as his third album his work was declared the outstanding release of the past year.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues had in his initial steps.
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous small stages across the UK.
The donation assisted spaces that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties arising from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Other venues obtained funding support in upgrading amenities and gear that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The concept that money from shows in large arenas backs the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," the star has said.
He is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
When Pulp earned the award in the mid-90s for their record the album, lead singer the singer announced that the act would donate their cash to the organization the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her prize across several charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed updated gear," she explained to a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the youth organization that supported their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally the 1994 recipients the group donated their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," said singer Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had saved two small stages in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the properties.
