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The artist has handed over the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which functions to save the UK's independent live music spots.

Fender was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album the album was chosen as the top album of the previous year.

The musician has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his initial steps.

"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.

He also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds assisted spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in improving facilities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The concept that money from shows in big venues helps the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.

Fender is not the first artist to give his honor prize money to charitable organizations.

When they won the trophy in the mid-90s for their release their work, vocalist the singer declared that the act would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, artist the artist divided her prize between multiple organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"I also gave a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," the artist explained to a publication.

Previously, the band gave their winnings to the local youth club that developed their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

And winners that year they gave their award to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the illness.

"Winning was sufficient," said singer the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the MVT announced it had rescued a couple of local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.

The first in that area and the second in Bristol were bought under the community ownership program, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who purchase "shares" in the buildings.