Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the trust for venues, which works to protect the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
He was presented with the prize on 16 October as his third album his work was declared the top album of the past year.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages had in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help independent venues.
He also joined in, generating over £100k on his live tour to support 38 small stages across the UK.
The donation assisted locations that were facing possible closure due to challenges caused by floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and fans.
"The notion that money from performances in major spaces supports the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
Fender is among several artists to donate his award prize money to good deeds.
Back when they earned the award in the year 1996 for their release the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
That year, musician she divided her bounty among several charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed updated gear," the artist told the media.
In recent years, they donated their funds to the community center that nurtured their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients they contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," said artist Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted the lives of others."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected several small stages in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in Southampton and the second in Bristol were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.
